Lean On Me
by cutekittenlady
Summary: Edo!verse Lucy Ashley had never needed anyone. But after a bet with a silver-haired barmaid she gets stuck with a partner she never wanted. Will she find a way to shake off the crybaby, or will she find it's worth leaning on someone after all?
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Lucy Ashley's life had never been easy.

Being born the daughter of a successful mob boss seemed good from the outset, until everyone started using you to suck up to dear old daddy. Her father and mother had always been the only ones she could truly rely on. From the ripe young age of eight, mob boss Jude Ashley had taught his daughter the basics of business and leadership.

So when the gang turned on her father and left her cold and hungry in the street, she had just the skill set to survive on her own. She lived the rough life of an alley rat; stealing and fighting in order to scrape by. Through all of this, she developed her own philosophy on life. To live for herself, and only lean on those with the strengths and abilities that would benefit her.

Eventually, Lucy found her way to the Wizard Guild Fairy Tail. The young rebel had joined largely for her own benefit and protection. It was easier to have a whole group behind you after all and nearly every member of the guild had something to offer her. And with the world going to hell in a handbasket having a place where she might be safe was more valuable than anything else.

It was almost surprising how well she fit in.

Brawls were an almost everyday occurrence at this guild, and as such Lucy's fighting abilities remained sharp. In this place, there actually existed people who gave her a run for her money. More specifically a certain blue haired bitch and her gang who seemed to exist purely to drive her up the wall.

"I hear you were late on the job again newbie!" Levy shouted degradingly from across the room, her two flunkies Jet and Droy sniggering behind her.

Lucy slammed her drink down on the table and shot her a glare, "What was that you flat chested bimbo!"

"I called you a slow ass turtle bitch!"

In less than a second, Lucy was across the room shoving her face against Levy's smug face.

"Care to repeat that to my face?"

"Sure. SLOW. ASS. TURTLE. BI-" Levy was cut off with Lucy's fist in her face.

From there it was an all-out brawl.

Levy and Lucy traded blows, neither giving the other any ground. Tables were flipped, chairs smashed, mugs of ale broken, complete and utter chaos. It was only when Macao and Wakaba pulled the two warring delinquents part did the furniture carnage end.

Levy marched off nursing a bruise on her face muttering something about getting the drop on that dairy cow the next time they faced off.

As for Lucy, she took her seat at the bar once more and glared down at the drink in her hands.

"Enjoying yourself so far?" A cheery voice asked from behind the counter.

Lucy scowled as she looked into the chipper face of Mirajane.

"What do you think?" she replied abrasively.

The barmaid just giggled, seemingly amused by Lucy's hostility. "I hear you took out an entire highwayman gang by yourself. That's impressive."

Despite herself, Lucy blushed somewhat at the compliment. "It wasn't the entire group. Some of the bastards got away before I got there."

"That's true." Mirajane looked thoughtful. "It must be difficult for you, getting everywhere on foot. Especially since you have to avoid all the guards at the same time."

Somehow the silver-haired woman always managed to hit the nail on the head. From what she had managed to gauge so far, Lucy was easily one of the most capable fighters in the guild. However that hardly meant a thing when she couldn't manage to get to her jobs on time, or when she was outnumbered by trained, armed guards and had to retreat. The whole situation was infuriating.

"Well regardless," Mirajane went on changing the subject. "have you found anyone you like yet?"

Lucy groaned. Mira had brought up this same subject every time she sat down and ordered a drink.

"Cana is free I think." She swayed.

"No." Lucy wanted to put an end to this conversation immediately.

"Or maybe Reedus?" she offered again.

"Definitely NOT."

"Nab?"

"He's barely ever even here!"

"How about-"

"Will you just stop?" Lucy growled.

Mirajane blinked in fake confusion. "What do you mean?"

Lucy glowered at the woman. "I don't need a partner. I don't want a partner. So you can stop bringing it up every time we're in the same room together."

Mira frowned. "But Lucy it's in your best interest."

Lucy didn't agree.

Despite the blonde's obvious disapproval of the subject, Mira carried on. "What if something happened to you while you were on the job? You'd need someone to back you up or who would, at least, alert the guild if you got into trouble. And two people can finish a job much faster and effectively than just one. Think of all the reward money you could get if you had someone else there to help you out."

"God dammit Mira!" Lucy yelled slamming her fist on the bar. Everyone in the guild jumped and looked over in their direction. "I don't want or need a partner! No matter what you say, not matter how hard you try to convince me, I am never ever going to agree to partner up with anyone."

"What about-"

"ANYONE!"

For once Mira was rendered silent.

Lucy sighed in relief certain that she had finally gotten the point across. As she went back to her drink Mira stood with her back to her cleaning some of the glasses. She only turned around to refill Lucy's drink before going back to her daily tasks.

Her silence bugged Lucy. She wondered if she had been too hard on the other woman. Still it was her own fault for pushing the subject. A partner just wouldn't work well for Lucy. Everyone strong enough to meet her standards was already in a team and anyone else would just be a burden on her while on the job.

She was confident that she hadn't met a single person since she had joined who lived up to her exacting standards.

Looking up from her drink once more she found Mira staring at her once again.

 _Oh no_. She thought.

"You know Lucy," Mira went on. "I know someone who can get you to a job faster than Levy and her gang ever could."

Lucy stared.

One of the many many things that pissed Lucy off about her blue-haired rival were her mechanical skills. The damn brat had managed to put together a few bikes for her and her flunkies to ride to their jobs on. As a result, they arrived much faster than Lucy ever could on foot.

Levy knew this and smugly lorded it over Lucy's head.

The smile on Mira's face grew and Lucy realized that she had let the temptation show on her face.

"But of course," Mira sighed, "you don't need a partner. I'm sure your content with your speed anyway. I mean you don't have to get there faster than Levy. After all, it's not a competition."

Lucy stiffened and sat up straight.

The barmaid smiled, content with the reaction. "What do you say, Lucy? How about you pick a job some ways away, and we'll see if this person can get you there and back again before Levy returns from her own job?"

Staring down at her mug with an uncertain look on her face Lucy replied, "What do I get outta it?"

"How about we make a bet. If this person fails to get you home before Levy gets back then you get free food and drink from the bar and I'll never bring up the subject of partners ever again. BUT," she wagged her finger. "If they succeed. You take them on as your partner. No arguments. Deal?" She stuck out her hand.

It was a deal Lucy simply couldn't resist. "Deal," she spat as she took the hand and shook it.

Mira smiled. Hook, line, and sinker.

* * *

((So yeah first Fairy Tail fic.

I always found Lucy and Natsu's Edolas counterparts to be entertaining, and I figured it'd be interesting to try and write a story about how they met and maybe some of their adventures together.

At the moment I don't know where this fic will be going. I'm not sure if there will be a single overarching plot or if this story will eventually devolve into short drabbles, or into an incomplete mess of a story.

Anyway this takes place shortly after Edo!Lucy/Lucy Ashley joined Fairy Tail. The first story will be how she met Natsu the Fireball and how the two became partners. I know there are plenty of fics about that exact subject but it seemed like a good enough place to start.

Regardless, please enjoy this fic and if you have the time please leave a review as well to tell me what you think.))


	2. Story 1 Chapter 1

Lucy shivered from the early morning chill.

The mist from the previous night was slowly beginning to disperse just as the first rays of the early morning light came streaming through the branches. Wildlife was beginning to awaken as small critters began to scurry about among the brush. Despite the cold, Lucy couldn't help but smile as she watched the innocent creatures carry along their merry way.

In a way, she was a little jealous. A part of her sincerely wished she could live that carefree.

A sudden sneeze brought her out of her daydream.

She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand angrily wondering if some asshole was talking behind her back.

The blonde had been waiting for almost half an hour for whoever Mira was sending her out with and she was starting to get impatient. Pulling the flyer out of her pack again she began to review the information for the third time.

A village in Northern Edolas needed some assistance dealing with an infestation of rodents. It was low level, and Lucy doubted it would be anything too difficult. However, Mira had specifically told her to pick out a job that was far away. Considering the guild hall was currently stationed in Edolas's southernmost forest it seemed promising. Besides the reward was a little above the average at 10,000 Jewels. It was crop season and the rodents were probably making mincemeat out of the village's food stores.

The roar of an engine made Lucy jump, nearly dropping the paper in her hand. The peace of the forest was shattered. All of the animals scurried away as a magic four-wheeler pulled up in front of the guild. She took one look at the thing and inwardly groaned.

Four Wheelers were faster and had more power than a simple motorbike, but the controls were crazy hard to handle. Unless the driver was some kind of expert the entire vehicle was more trouble than it was worth. That and whoever owned this thing didn't know painting flames on the side of a car was tacky as hell.

The window rolled down and the driver leaned out and called out to her, "You Lucy?"

She walked up to the vehicle staring hard at the person in the front seat. Staring out at her was a boy around the same age wearing a red zip-up shirt with flames on the sleeves (again so tacky).

He also had pink hair.

Which was weird. She was positive she would have noticed something like that right away.

"Yeah. Are you the guy Mira sent?" she asked suspiciously.

Lifting a pair of goggles from his eyes the pink haired boy gave her an irritating shit eating grin that Lucy just wanted to punch. "That's me, babe. Hop on in."

The blonde winced at the word babe. but said nothing. She could beat him into a broken mess later, for now, she had to keep her eyes focused on the goal.

"Don't call me babe," she warned before getting into the car. "And what do I call you?"

"Natsu Dragion," he smirked as he stepped on the gas and started going. "The Fireball, the best driver in Edolas."

"How humble of you."

"You're just jealous."

She twitched again. Arrogant guys like this one were the worst, but she was used to dealing with them. Once he got her where she needed to be she could take out all of her frustration on the rats, put him in his place, and then take her own sweet time getting back to the guild.

Unfortunately, her driver wasn't in the mood to just shut up and drive. "So newbie why'd you never say hello?"

"What?"

"I've seen ya around the guild hall but you never said anything to me."

Lucy knit her brow in frustration. "I'm pretty sure I haven't met you yet." She was sure she would remember that hair.

He frowned. "Now that's just mean. We've sat next to each other for pity's sake."

Now Lucy was sure he was lying. "I don't remember that."

"Man you are cold."

She barely managed to keep her temper in check. His roundabout way of flirting was seriously pissing her off. Lucy was beginning to think she wouldn't be able to keep her temper in check all the way to their destination.

Natsu remained silent for the next few hours giving Lucy time to calm herself down.

She had to admit that he handled this machine exceptionally well. The landscape outside of the window was going by in a blur making her confident that they might just arrive at the village by the end of the day. On foot, it would've taken her half a week.

Lucy had to admit that she could get used to traveling this way. Now if only Natsu wasn't there.

"Hey," he spoke up for the first time in several hours.

She barely managed to prevent a groan.

"What kind of job are we taking?"

"You don't know?"

"You picked out the job. I haven't even seen the flyer yet."

She had to admit he had a point. "Fine. It's a job to deal with a small infestation of rats or whatever."

"They're hiring wizards for that?" Natsu was in disbelief. "Why don't they just set up some mouse traps or something?"

"I don't fucking know. Maybe they're all phobic or something. Not my business to ask."

There was another long period of silence between them.

"Uh-oh…" Natsu muttered looking at his dash.

"Hm?" Lucy was aroused from her dozing by his voice. "What is it?"

"The Lacrima is almost drained."

Lucy looked at the meter and saw that it was indeed twitching down towards the ominous E. "You didn't refill this thing before we set out?!" she asked angrily.

The last thing she wanted to do right now was to walk across a large expanse of empty land until they found a town that hopefully had a black market.

"Don't worry babe." he replied condescendingly as he brought the car to stop. "I have a spare in the back. Just replace it with the old one and we can get on our way."

"Excuse me?" she asked dangerously. Between having ridden in a car for several hours, dealing with pinkies condescending attitude, and being called babe, Lucy was dangerously close to the breaking point.

"Go replace the lacrima. It's easy. Even you can do it."

Oh that was it.

Lucy got out of the car catching a glimpse of Natsu's satisfied grin. He wasn't grinning for long. The blonde circled around to the driver's side of the car and tore the door open.

Gripping the steering wheel, Natsu stared out at her in surprise. "What do you think you're-"

Lucy grabbed Natsu by the shirt collar and tried to pull him out of the car with all of her strength.

"W-wait a second!" the boy screamed.

But Lucy wasn't listening. To hell with being patient, she was teaching this jerkass a lesson right here, right now. However, he was being exceptionally difficult as he held onto the steering wheel for dear life.

She wasn't slowing down, she tugged and tugged until finally his skinny arms gave way. Natsu came tumbling out of the four wheeler landing face first into the dirt. Lucy herself fell back on her ass but was quickly back on her feet again ready to kick Natus' pretty pink head in.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Lucy stopped mid-kick as she heard the pathetic scared little plea. She gaped as she stared down at the boy on the ground in front of her.

Natsu was covering his head with his arms whimpering like some poor abused puppy.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

The pink haired boy took this opportunity to push himself back on his knees still guarding his face with his arms. "I-I'm s-so sorry. I-I didn't m-mean to m-make you mad! P-please, d-don't hit me!"

"What?!" she repeated.

"Ah," Natsu looked at her like she didn't hear him. "I-I'll replace the L-lacrima so p-please don't hit me."

"WHAT?!" Lucy repeated again in complete disbelief. She angrily grabbed Natsu by the collar of his shirt and hauled him up to look at her.

He squeaked as tears threatened to pour from his eyes. "S-sorry…"

"Stop saying that!"

"Y-yes ma'am." he whimpered.

Lucy twitched in anger as she let go of his collar. "What the hell is your problem?! Stop crying!"

Natsu wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffed before looking back at her.

"Ya done yet?" she asked gruffly.

He nodded shakily.

"Okay then," she then breathed deeply to try and calm herself. "Mind telling me what's with the attitude change?"

"U-Uhm…" he stuttered. "Y-ya see…"

Lucy glared at him impatiently.

Natsu jumped before replying. "I-I… I'm n-not very strong. A-and I o-only really feel confident behind the wheel. S-so…"

"Let me see if I have this straight." Lucy crossed her arms in anger. "Yer an arrogant dickhead behind the wheel, while out of the car yer a pathetic wimp."

He winced at the frankness of her words before looking away from her in embarrassment and nodding.

The blonde roared angrily before kicking at the dirt, ignoring the frightened sounds coming from Natsu. When she got back to the guild she was going to bury Mira for sticking her with what could only be the worst kind of man. He would be nothing but a liability if she somehow got stuck with him as a partner.

 _Calm down Lucy calm down._ She wasn't stuck with him yet. So long as she took her own sweet time dealing with the rats then she would only have to deal with him on the trip back and then never speak to him again.

A small part of her screamed in repulsion at allowing Levy the sweet satisfaction of beating her even indirectly, but she knew that if she lost this bet Mira would not let her off. She'd be shackled with that pink haired pussy for the rest of her guild days, and likely never have a fruitful day of work again. Hell, if the royal guards showed up he'd probably toss her at their feet before making a speedy getaway.

Lucy continued to kick at the ground, releasing all of her pent up aggression. Usually, she would have just beaten the source of all of her anger into a bloody pulp. However it was against her personal code to beat up on people who were technically on her side, weaker than her, and begging for mercy. And currently, Natsu technically filled out all three. (She had made exceptions in the past, but those guys were especially bad assholes.)

Taking a deep calming breath she looked back at the four-wheeler to find Natsu putting the hood down, apparently he had taken advantage of Lucy's preoccupied state to replace the Lacrima. Good, the sooner they got this whole dumb mission over with the better.

Lucy walked right past Natsu and got in the car waiting expectantly.

He got in, turned on the ignition, and drove off again.

The rest of their trip was spent in silence.

* * *

 _((I have to say thank you to everyone who reviewed this fic! You've given me a lot of confidence to keep moving forward with this story!_

 _Special thanks to the reviewer who pointed out my lack of commas in the prologue. Thankfully I have a grammarly app for quick and effective editing!_

 _Anyway I imagine that for their Edolas counterparts Natsu and Lucy's first meeting didn't go very smoothly. I doubt someone like Lucy Ashley would take kindly to someone with Natsu's personality right off the bat. But don't worry I'm sure she gets used to him._

 _y'know eventually._

 _Regardless feel free to keep reviewing! It really keeps me pumped! Also feel free to share your own headcanons with me! I won't gurantee that they'll show up in the story but they'll be interesting to hear!))_


	3. Story 1 Chapter 2

When Mira had told him that he was teaming up with the newest member of the guild, Lucy Ashley, Natsu wasn't entirely sure how to feel.

He used to go out with his dear friend Gray before a girl named Juvia had joined. Gray had become instantly smitten with the woman and now followed her on all of her jobs, though Natsu was fairly certain Juvia would have preferred that he didn't. Looking at how happy his friend was with Juvia, however, Natsu didn't have the heart to stop him.

And so Natsu didn't have a partner anymore thus beginning his hunt for a new one. Sadly things… didn't go well.

His reputation as a shy, reserved, and weak crybaby hardly made him popular when it came to choices for partners. Immediately he decided against even asking most of the guild, but decided that some of the older members might take to the idea better.

The only member his age who had been in the guild for just as long as him and Gray was Cana. But when he brought up the subject to her she had politely turned him down, telling him that riding around in fast cars as Natsu did would be unladylike. He had let it go at that.

He had thought about joining the Strauss siblings team. He got along pretty well with all three of them, but they had a tendency to talk about personal things while on missions and Natsu decided that he'd rather not know that Elfman had wet the bed until he was thirteen.

Wakaba and Macao always drawled on and on about the good old days, Warren and Max weren't interested, Reedus always yelled at him, and Nab was gone on jobs so often that asking him was out of the question. As for Bisca and Alzack, well they were so lovey dovey with one another that Natsu didn't feel like becoming a third wheel.

In a last ditch effort, Natsu had gone against his better judgement and asked Levy's gang to let him join. Levy was great with machines and he had thought she might find his driving skills useful.

She took his offer and threw it in his face. "Why would I want a dead weight like you on the team?!"

When he failed to give a proper response she continued. "Face it Natsu, Gray was probably the only one who was willing to put up with you. So either man up and do jobs by yourself or do something useful with yourself and man the bar with Mira. Lord knows you'd do the guild better that way."

And with that Natsu's hunt for a new partner ended in failure.

He had taken Levy's advice and just started doing jobs by himself. He was careful about picking which jobs he took, looking carefully over the details as well as the reward. Natsu soon began avoiding jobs that seemed too dangerous or that had too high of a reward since such jobs were too difficult or dangerous for him to do on his own.

As a result, he became a regular at the bar where Mirajane worked. He began to spend his days working on his car, helping out around the guild hall, and staring up at the request board.

"Don't be so down Natsu." Mira had said sympathetically. "I'm sure things will get better. I'll keep my eyes on the new recruits and see if anyone catches my eye okay?"

Natsu had always been fond of Mirajane, so her words gave him a bit of encouragement. He was sure they were just words, though. If the oldest members who had known him for years and years didn't want him, he doubted anyone of the newer members would feel any different.

Soon afterward SHE joined the guild.

Lucy Ashley wasn't like most of the other girls in the guild. Most of the other members said she acted a lot like Levy, but Natsu couldn't see it. Outside of the violent outbursts, that is.

Levy may have been belligerent, but she still socialized with Jet, Droy, and the other members of the guild. Lucy, however, was always by herself.

She never sat down next to anyone, she went out on jobs alone, and she never initiated conversations. Whenever anyone tried to socialize with her she either glared at them to stop or she ended the conversation quickly. The only two who had really gained any ground with her was Levy and Mirajane.

Levy seemed to have a good time mocking and picking fights with Lucy. Despite all of her abusive words, Natsu could easily see it was because she saw the blonde girl as an equal. And he would never say it front of Levy, but he actually thought Lucy was stronger than Levy.

Whenever the blue haired mechanic got in trouble Jet and Droy would always back her up, Lucy, however, never got any help in their fights and still won half of the time.

Mirajane was easily the most successful. She ignored all of the Lucy's glares and threats and carried on conversations with her like it was nothing. Considering Mira was also the one who recorded who took what jobs this made some sense. If Lucy didn't get along with Mira she would have a lot of trouble getting work.

Natsu admired Lucy for her strength, but at the same time, she terrified him. So much so that whenever the two were close to each other he would freeze up and remained as silent as he could. Surprisingly enough she never seemed to take notice of him, though Natsu was sure she was just ignoring him. They had even sat next to each other at the bar and nary a glance had she ever taken in his direction.

So when Mira came in one day, drew Natsu aside, and told him that she had set up a joint job between him and Lucy he wasn't sure whether to be curious or scared shitless. Despite this, he didn't have it in him to tell Mira no. She had promised to keep a look out for a potential partner for him and had apparently succeeded in convincing Lucy to give it a shot. How she had done this he had no idea, but he had long since given up on guessing Mira's methods.

So when the fateful day came he jumped into his magic four-wheeler, revved the engine, and taken off. Behind the wheel, he was confident he could impress the newbie with his driving skills.

And it had all ended in disaster.

Everything he did only seemed to piss Lucy off, and when she pulled him from the car and he had broken into a shivering, gibbering mess in front of her she was obviously more than a little disappointed by the display. For a moment, Natsu was sure that she was going to kill him and bury him in the desert.

She managed to more or less calm herself down in the time it took him to replace the car's Lacrima, and had gotten back into the vehicle without a word to him. Both of them were completely silent the rest of the trip, leaving Natsu alone with his thoughts.

He had likely ruined any chance he had at convincing Lucy to team up with him as a partner though he had had his doubts from the very beginning. Even from the outset, it was obvious the two were incompatible with one another, which made Natsu wonder why Lucy had ever agreed to give him a try in the first place. However given how fed up with him she was now, he doubted he would ever know.

* * *

Pulling up just outside the village, Lucy got out of the car immediately. The village obviously had no magic, she could tell just by glancing at the simple buildings and the relatively small fields. They were large enough to support the village, but they likely didn't export the food they grew. She could see why an infestation of rodents would seem like such a huge disaster to a village like this.

Grabbing her bag from the front seat, she walked straight into the village. Whether Natsu was following her or not she didn't bother to check. She wasn't surprised to see that the streets were empty, it was dark now after all. She would just head straight to the nearest inn, check in, and then see the village's headman in the morning. The only problem was she had no idea where the inn was.

As a result, she was left wandering the village looking up at the buildings trying to find some sign that the building was an inn. Eventually, she came to an old run down building with a sign hanging from a rusty chain with faded letters reading 'tavern' written across it. It was better than nothing.

There were a few people sitting crowded at the tables and at the bar who looked up when Lucy pushed the swinging doors open. Since she was clearly a stranger they eyed her as she walked up to the bar to address the man there. He looked at her carefully before asking, "Room for two?"

Lucy looked behind her seeing Natsu shrink under all of the stairs. Of course.

"No." she replied bluntly. "Two rooms, as far apart as possible."

The barman glanced between the two before saying, "That'll be 1,000 Jewels."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "For two rooms? In this place?"

"For you? Yes."

Some of the men in the room chuckled. Lucy glared in the general direction of the noise, but no one looked her in the eye. She really didn't feel like haggling the price, but she only had 700 jewels on her at the moment. Bringing up that she was about to get paid might make him agree faster, but it also might make him amp up the price. There was the option of settling for the cheapest option but…

Lucy looked at Natsu who seemed to be sickened by the smell of smoke and alcohol in the room. She really really didn't want to do this. But she didn't have a choice.

She sighed and asked, "I'm guessing it's 500 for a single room?"

The barman shook his head and gave her a grin of rotten teeth, "600."

Oh, how she wanted to punch this sleaze in the face. But she was tired, and starting a bar fight would hardly reflect well when she met the headman. "Fine," she spat before slamming the money on the table.

Chuckling in victory, the barman took the money and gave her a key. "First on the right."

Lucy snatched the key and headed up the stairs to the room with Natsu nervously following after. "Have a nice night you two!" she heard someone laugh behind her.

She slammed the door open of the room to find an exceedingly small room with a small bed, a washstand, and single gas lamp.

Oh, this was just fucking fantastic.

Natsu slipped in before Lucy could slam the door on him. She silently dropped her bag on the floor and collapsed onto the bed. He looked about the room for a moment before uttering, "U-uh… L-Lucy-san where do I-?"

She turned her head from the pillow glaring at him. He fell instantly silent as she turned over on the bed. "Try anything and I kill you."

He didn't have a reply to that. Natsu laid down on the floor next to the bed, rightly assuming that this was the position he was expected to take. He wanted to complain about the setup but was too scared of inciting Lucy's wrath to even try.

Both Natsu and Lucy sincerely hoped that they could finish the job quickly the next day so that they could get right back to the guild without a further ado. Lucy wished this a little less strongly than Natsu. After all, if she got to the guild too soon, there was no telling how long she would have to put up with this.

Unbeknownst to both of them, they were going to have a very eventful morning.

* * *

 _((_ Whoohoo _! New chapter in time for New Years!_

 _I figured it might be fun to give Natsu's point of view for a bit. I felt I needed to get into his character a bit for future reference. Also to maybe explain why Natsu didn't just join up with someone else._

 _Things don't seem to be getting any better in Edo!Natsu and Edo!Lucy's relationship. Maybe this upcoming mission will fix that. Who knows. Certainly not me._

 _Once again thanks to everyone who reviewed this fic. To answer a question posed to me, I have no definitive update schedule for this fic. I just update as I finish the chapters._  
 _Again feel free to review and tell me how you like how the story is going or maybe just to share_ yoru _own personal headcanons._

Hopefully _I_ wont _take too long to write up the next chapter.))_


	4. Story 1 Chapter 3

Natsu couldn't sleep. And not just because he was sleeping on the cold wooden floor with no blanket. He stared at the dull wooden ceiling as he listened to the wind blowing outside and came to a certain realization.

This was the very first time Natsu had ever slept in the same room as a girl. Alone.

At least to his memory. And he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that. It wasn't like he was sleeping in the same room as any girl. This was Lucy Ashley. The scariest woman he had ever met. And yet, Natsu still didn't know how he felt about it.

Despite everything that had happened between them that day he couldn't really say that he hated her. He was still scared of her, of course, but Natsu Dragion was scared of a lot of people. Really he kind of understood her anger towards him. She had obviously been expecting someone more worth her time. Natsu couldn't help but wonder if Mira had somehow played him up to be someone he wasn't and getting Lucy's expectations too high.

If so, all the more reason to not blame her.

But though he didn't blame her for disliking him, that didn't mean Natsu was exactly happy with her. He got why she may not like him, but if she was going to make him sleep on the floor the least she could do was toss him a blanket, sheet, anything really.

With this thought, Natsu shivered again. It wasn't like he had never slept without a blanket before, but both of those times he'd been in the guild or in his beloved car. This time, he was in a strange new place, that smelled of mildew, and was drafty. Not at all like his previous experiences.

Natsu had just closed his eyes to try to get to sleep again when a third reason soon came.

There was a sound coming from outside of the building. A scratchy scraping sound that chilled Natsu to the bone. He lay there his eyes now wide open as he listened intently, trying to ignore the beating of his own heart in his ears.

The scratching continued.

He swallowed and shook as he realized that the scratching was coming from outside of the window. Sitting up, Natsu looked over at the bed where Lucy was lying, apparently still asleep. He contemplated waking her for a second but soon dismissed the idea. If the scratching turned out to be nothing he would just be making her angry with him again.

So instead, Natsu crawled as slowly and silently as he could over to the window sill. The hollow scratching grew louder as he approached, as did the beating of the boy's heart. Reaching a shaky hand up to the sill of the window Natsu slowly peered out of the window.

He didn't see anything of note. Just the road outside, the sign hanging by its rusty chain, and the fence that surrounded the property. Natsu would've thought he'd imagined the whole thing if the scratching sound didn't seem to be considerably louder. Standing he tried to stare down the outside wall of the building, but a cloud was blocking the moonlight preventing him from seeing much.

Natsu thought he saw something move but couldn't quite grasp the shape of whatever it was. Holding his breath, he undid the latch of the window and leaned out hoping to get a better look. The scratching was coming from immediately below him, he was sure of it.

Something was digging at the ground and scratching the wooden side of the building as he did so. He stared at it not daring to move or even breath. Not knowing what else to do Natsu just continued staring, hoping his eyes might adjust to the dark.

They didn't have to.

Right at that moment, a streak of moonlight came out from behind a cloud and temporarily illuminated the ground below. Natsu gave a sharp inhale of breath as he saw a rigid figure covered in fur digging in the ground with bare fleshy claws. This small change in his breathing was apparently enough to alert the figure as its head suddenly shot up and stared straight at him with round, wild, red eyes.

What little bravery Natsu had left shattered into a million pieces as he gave a little shriek, pulled back into the room, and slammed the window back down latching it for good measure. Hurrying over to Lucy he instantly began to shake her awake. He dared not yell instead giving a terrified whisper of, "Lucy-san… Lucy-san! Wake up!"

The blonde groaned as she turned over and cracked an eyelid open at him. Seeing him there made her scowl. "This had better be really fucking important."

"I-I-It i-is!" he pleaded on the verge of tears. "Th-there's a m-monster o-outside!"

She stared at him for a long moment before turning away and laying back down. "I'm kicking your ass in the morning."

"N-no!" he grabbed hold of her again. "Th-there's something o-out there!"

Lucy sat up suddenly and glowered at him. He cowered under her stare raising his hands to shield his head in case she decided to hit him. Much to his surprise, she stood up went to the window and opened it, leaning out and peering outside.

A long moment of silence followed as she remained there, apparently taking a good long look. Finally, she pulled back into the room and slammed the window shut with a thud. Natsu flinched at the loud slam but quickly had others things to worry about when Lucy turned around and gave him a hateful expression.

"There's nothing out there." she spat.

He stared at her before stuttering, "B-but I… I saw-"

In a flash, Lucy hit Natsu upside the head with so much force he face planted onto the floor.

"If you wake me up for something stupid like this again, I'm grinding your ass into the floor," she growled. "Do I make myself absolutely clear?"

She was using a hushed voice to avoid waking anyone in the building up, but somehow that just made her words all the more terrifying.

Natsu held back tears as nursed the bump on his head and gave her a single stiff nod and a whimper.

"Good." she snarled before climbing back into the bed.

Natsu lay on his stomach staring at the window, fully expecting a pair of red eyes to stare through at him at any moment.

Needless to say, he didn't get much sleep that night.

* * *

Lucy was completely and utterly disgusted.

It was bad enough when she thought he was just a wimp, but now… now she knew he was a complete coward who was scared of his own shadow. All it took was a little nightmare, or whatever it had been, to throw him off his rocker. And that, more than anything else, bugged her.

What made her feel even more disgusted, was that she had actually started to feel sorry for him.

As she had lain in bed the night before she had really begun to think about Natsu's position. She had made that bet with Mira without really considering what kind of person she was going to be sent out with, and so her disappointment was really kind of her own fault. Aside from that Natsu had delivered exactly what Mira had promised. He had gotten her across Edolas to her destination in a single day despite having to stop and refuel. It was something that she had to begrudgingly admit was pretty impressive.

She even began to feel bad about how she had treated him. Sure he annoyed her but she supposed he hadn't really deserved any of the shit she'd been giving him. Her pride wouldn't allow her to apologize but she had resolved to be just a bit easier on him in the morning.

But then he had gone and woken her up like a scared seven-year-old who thought there was a monster under the bed and all of that previous self-reflection flew out of the window. She'd given him a chance by at least taking a look but as there was nothing there, let alone a monster, she felt pretty justified in decking him one before heading straight back to bed.

To make matters worse, she woke up the next morning hungry. She knew better than to try and haggle an affordable breakfast for both her and Natsu with the tavern keeper. If 600 jewels were his idea of an affordable price for a small one bed room then she hated to see what he thought an affordable meal was. Especially since she now only had 100 or so jewels on her.

Instead, Lucy had dragged herself out of the bed, nudging Natsu with the toe of her foot to wake him up. He was either a light sleeper or he had already been awake because he picked himself up almost instantly. She was happy to see that the tavern keeper apparently wasn't up yet so he wouldn't get a chance to try and convince her to buy some food.

Thankfully Natsu didn't complain about the fact that they hadn't eaten breakfast. He was either embarrassed of himself for what happened the night before or he was too scared to say anything. Either way, Lucy Ashley was more than a little thankful for the silence.

As the two walked down the road to the headman's house a number of people stopped what they were doing and stared at the two strange kids walking past. A few muttered inaudibly to one another while others pretended not to notice them. Pretty much the standard for small villages like this one.

Eventually, they came to the headman's place. The house was larger and much newer than most of the other buildings, so it had been a little easier to find than the tavern had been.

"Okay," Lucy began turning to Natsu. "Before we do this. We're going to set some ground rules."

Natsu blinked at her with scared little eyes but was otherwise attentive.

"First off, I do all of the talking. Second, pretend we've done this together before. The last thing we need is for the client to think we're unprofessional. And third," she wagged her finger warningly at him, "do **not** fuck this up for me. _Or I will end you_. Understand?"

Natsu nodded furiously before giving a hurried, "Yes ma'am!"

"Good. Now let's get this over with." Lucy reached out and knocked on the door.

* * *

((I somehow managed to churn out two chapters in a single day! Go me! And as it turns out I'm actually publishing this one on New Years Day! I think this chapter is a little short, but hopefully you guys will enjoy it.

I kind of wanted to put up some foreshadowing while also showing that both Natsu and Lucy really are good people, if a little flawed. I know we knew that already from the series, but there's no reason not to show it in the writing.

Also next chapter we should be getting more details on the job these two will be doing, so wait in delicious anticipation!

I wish all of my readers a very happy new year, may it be a happy one!))


	5. Story 1 Chapter 4

Despite how fancy the couch Lucy was currently sitting on looked, it was not at all comfortable. She had only been sitting on it for ten minutes or so and already her back was sore. Scowling she once again shifted to try and relieve the soreness. Natsu didn't seem bothered by it at all. In fact, Lucy could almost swear he hadn't moved since they'd sat down. It was kind of unnatural.

To make matters worse every time she looked over at him he avoided her gaze by looking in the other direction. Fine by her. She didn't want to bother speaking to him anyways. Still she did wonder quite what she was going to do with him. If he freaked out at sleeping in the dark she could only imagine how he would react to a little rat or two.

Lucy supposed she could just tell him to wait in the car while she took care of things. But she loathed the idea of doing all the work and still splitting the pay. Maybe she could make him set up some mouse traps or something? Though with his current track record he'd likely manage to screw even that up. Before she could decide what to do with him the village's headman entered the room.

He was about as generic as old men could get. Skinny, frail and with a white beard so long Lucy had to wonder how he didn't trip on it on his way in. He even hunched and had a cane. It was almost cartoonish how much of a stereotype this guy was. Still she was hardly one to complain about his looks, after all, he was the man paying them.

After some generic pleasantries, the headman got straight to business. "I must thank you for accepting this job. This infestation has been a plague on my village for much too long."

"I can see how they would be a problem. From the looks of it, farming seems to be the primary industry in this town." Lucy replied trying to sound as sympathetic as she could. "It must be a real problem if you're willing to pay 10,000 Jewels just to have them removed."

The old man looked surprised. "I see… you have not been informed."

Both Lucy and Natsu looked surprised. "Informed of what?" Lucy asked cautiously. "Has the reward lowered?"

The headman shook his head. "No, it has risen to 100,000."

Natsu's mouth dropped open, and Lucy barely managed to hide her own shock. It was a whole ten times the original reward. "I-I see… We were not informed that there had been an increase in the reward." She cleared her throat. "May I ask why you chose to increase it?"

The old man looked down at his clasped hands. "A few nights ago we found one of our grain storages completely empty. It was a hefty loss. If this continues we will not have enough stored food before winter. It gets worse. Many of the villagers have discovered evidence that the rats have been digging into their cellars." He sighed in desperation. "This recent development shows that the infestation has grown to a point where it could threaten the safety of the villagers. They need to be wiped out as swiftly as possible."

That was serious. Lucy hadn't thought that this issue was so severe. With the problem so widespread it wasn't just the food storages the villagers had to worry about. There was also the threat of disease. And since the village was so isolated it was unlikely they would be able to get proper aid if such a thing did come about.

"I understand your position. But you must understand, we can't wipe out the rat's on our own."

The headman nodded. "I know. But we have formulated something of a plan. After weeks of searching, we have managed to locate the rat's nest. If we destroy it, it should end the problem."

"Okay, but from what you've said the rodent problem is huge. So the rat's nest must be large. I don't see how-" Lucy began but the headman cut her off.

"We have managed to get our hands on something that may assist you." The headman stood and went to a desk sitting in the corner of the room. From it, he withdrew a box and placed it on the table removing the lid.

Lucy gasped. In the box sat a circular red orb.

"Explosion Lacrima?!" Natsu stared dumbfounded. "They've been outlawed for years where did you even-"

Raising her arm as a signal for the boy to silence himself, she hissed, "Shut up."

Natsu clamped his mouth shut and scooted an inch or two away from her. "It doesn't matter where they got it. All we need to know is where the nest is so we can blow it to hell," she then turned to address the headman. "That's what you want us to do right?"

The old man nodded slowly.

"Alright then," she stood up. "We accept."

* * *

Natsu had what he could only describe as a premonition of disaster. He couldn't exactly explain it. Ever since he had seen that dark figure outside the tavern the night before a familiar prickly feeling had been crawling along the back of his neck. It was the same feeling that he got whenever he was driving a treacherous stretch of road or when he was on a particularly dangerous job.

It usually meant something was about to happen. Whether it was good or bad he could never tell, but he'd always taken it as a warning to be on his guard.

While Lucy loaded the trunk with explosion lacrima, Natsu sat in the driver's seat thinking about how he was going to convey his premonition to her. He was not confident about his success.

It wasn't until they were driving towards the location of the nest that Natsu managed to work up the nerve to speak. "Lucy," he began. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Why am I not surprised?" she scowled.

"I'm serious." his hands tightened around the steering wheel as he spoke. In his car, he was more willing to argue. "Something's just off about this whole job."

Lucy wasn't in the mood to put up with Natsu's wailing. But her own curiosity forced her to speak, "And what exactly is it that you find so off?"

"For starters how did these people get ahold of explosive lacrima?" he began. "We work at an illegal Mage's guild and even we can't get our hands on that many!"

"I don't see why we should care about that. We don't have to get them ourselves, and we'll be walking away pretty with 100,000 Jewels. I honestly don't see what you're complaining about."

"That's another thing!" Natsu hissed. "Why did they increase the price so much? They would've been able to make the job more enticing by just doubling it, but they increased it by ten times the original offer!"

"Are you seriously complaining about how much we're getting paid?!" She was beginning to get irritated. "They're desperate. I doubt they're thinking about this economically."

"Two times, three times, even four times more. People increase the rewards for particularly desperate or dangerous jobs all the time. But I've never heard of increasing it by ten all at once."

Lucy sat silently in her seat. She couldn't really deny that he was making some halfway decent points. But she wasn't ready to be convinced. He could just as easily be trying to weasel out of having to do any work at all. "The villagers are paying us a lot of money, they've given us the means to clear out the nest, and even a map that shows the location. We barely have to do anything at all. I'm failing to see a downside."

"Exactly. The villagers know exactly where the nest is, and even have the means to destroy it themselves. But instead, they're paying two outsiders an unreasonable amount of money to do it for them. How does that make any sense?"

He was beginning to give her a headache. If it hadn't been for last night she might've been more willing to believe him. But she couldn't convince herself that Natsu was doing anything other than wriggle out of the job out of fear.

So she wasn't feeling at all merciful when she said, "Maybe they're all just cowards like you are."

Natsu clenched his jaw and immediately went silent.

Lucy seemed satisfied with the result as she stared out the window. She wasn't proud of being so hard on him, but she couldn't stand his cowardice. When this was all over she would walk home if it meant not having to deal with him anymore.

Meanwhile, the prickling on the back of Natsu's neck was getting worse and worse. He prayed that his instincts were wrong for once and he was just developing a rash or something. It was possible that he had imagined what he had seen the night before, and he was just overthinking the whole situation. If he was then this job would end without any problems and he and Lucy could just go back to the guild. Then he could go back to just taking care of his car and the guild, and Lucy could go back to pretending he didn't exist.

But somehow he didn't feel that that was going to happen.

* * *

 _(( HOkay finally got this next chapter done. I know_ its _also rather short but I had some trouble deciding on the appearance of the headman. I entertained the idea of making him the_ edolas _counterpart of one of the minor characters of the series, but I couldn't decide on who to make him a counterpart of. So_ for now _he's a generic old man._

 _I want to go ahead and thank everyone who posted reviews for the last few chapters. I thank you all for the encouragement, as well as the criticism. If any of you find any mistakes in my writing please feel free to point it out to me. I do try to do all the editing I can on my own but I always manage to miss things._  
 _A few of my mistakes have already been pointed out to me, and_ hopefully _I'll get a chance to fix the mistakes._

 _I'm also afraid that I can't see new reviews on the site proper due to some problem. However I can still view reviews in my email, so I'll try to reply when I can. Please feel free to continue writing reviews._

Anyway _we now know the nature of Natsu and Lucy's mission but it seems Natsu has some misgivings. Are his worries founded?_ Ya'll _will just have to stay tuned to find out._

 _Lord knows I don't currently know how it'll turn out XD. ))_


	6. Story 1 Chapter 5

They had parked the car a mile or so away from the nest's location so that the rats wouldn't hear them coming and scatter. Now outside of his car, Natsu didn't have the courage to argue with Lucy about the mission. Though the prickles on the back of his neck had now spread down his back and were driving him crazy.

They had put all of the explosive lacrima into a bag so they could carry them to the nest. Lucy had wordlessly given the bag to Natsu to carry and he felt sure she had done it out of spite. It didn't help his nerves that they were trudging downhill through a grove of thick trees into a deep dark hole.

The villagers had given them some rope so they could lower themselves into the hole and reach the rats nest. Though given what a big deal the villagers were making about the size of the infestation it was likely more appropriate to refer to it as a colony. Just the image of a hoard of rats crawling all over one another made Natsu's skin crawl.

Lucy had explained the plan to him multiple times. They were going to slip in, set the explosives all around the burrow, and then get out before the lacrima detonated. There was a remote detonator on Lucy's wrist that she could use to set the time of the explosion once they had placed the last lacrima. In that time they would get out of range of the blast and, in her own words, "Watch the fireworks."

Natsu stared down into the darkness of the burrow. He crinkled his nose in disgust at the smell that wafted up out of the hole. Feeling nauseous, he swallowed out of fear that he would vomit. Lucy already didn't like him, getting sick at a little smell would only make her think worse of him.

Lucy went down the hole first having secured the rope to a tree. From there Natsu lowered the bag containing the explosives down into the hole as carefully as he could. Just dropping them in would risk cracking one of the Lacrima and setting the whole bag off.

Thankfully the bag reached the floor without incident. Natsu slid down the rope right after it. Unfortunately, he slipped as he reached the end of the rope falling flat on his ass with a squeal. Groaning in pain, he rubbed the sore spot. Hearing a snicker he looked behind him in surprise only to see Lucy walking away with the bag of lacrima in hand.

She couldn't have laughed.

Could she?

* * *

Lucy marched through the surprisingly spacious system of tunnels. She could barely contain the eruption of giggles that was threatening to burst out. It had all just been too funny to see. Natsu falling on his ass was funny enough but the weird little noise he made when it happened is what made it hilarious. Even coming from Natsu, it had sounded so unnatural coming from a guy.

But it was imperative that they remained silent. Making too much noise would alert the rats and Lucy didn't want a whole colony coming down on her. Even if one rat was small a whole group of them could cause serious injury to both her and Natsu.

Considering how silently he was following behind her, she was sure that Natsu understood this as well. For a weird moment, she was actually thankful he was such an obedient wet blanket. If he had been the complaining type their whole mission would have ended in failure already.

The musky smell got worse and worse as they continued on. They were surely getting closer to the nest now. She finally came to a momentary stop as the light from the entrance had begun to fade.

"Turn on the light," she whispered.

The cave around her was suddenly illuminated as Natsu turned on the light lacrima they had taken with them from the car. Apparently Natsu kept a good number of different types of lacrima stashed in his car for occasions like this. Another surprising point in his favor.

Didn't stop him from being a dirty coward, though.

If he was only stronger and had more of a backbone Lucy thought she might actually have managed to tolerate him. Might.

With the light illuminating the tunnel Lucy could now see wooden beams holding the walls up. So this tunnel was man-made. Weird. The rats hadn't created this tunnel system, they had simply set their colony up inside of a pre-existing one.

It was possible this could have been an abandoned cellar or even a mine of some kind. But it was strange that the villagers hadn't mentioned it. Knowing that this place had been artificially created ahead of time would have made finding places to place the lacrima a hell of a lot easier. If they had been given a bit of time they could have found a map of the place and just blown all of the entrances. It was too late for that now, though. Instead, she and Natsu would have to find the nest and set the bombs up around the perimeter so that the ceiling would be sure to collapse on top of it.

As they trekked through the tunnels Lucy ignored the disgusting squelching under her feet. She hoped that it was just groundwater but the smell put that idea in serious doubt. The smell and obvious rat feces helped them find the general perimeter of the colony much to her displeasure.

Carefully Lucy placed each lacrima into what looked like weak portions of the wall and activated them. Each time she did so her heart jumped at the steady hum and dull glow the orbs gave off. One bad move with these things would set them off and then both she and Natsu would be hanging out six feet under. They had planted about six lacrima so far and she guessed that they would only need to place one or two more before they had completely encircled the part of the cave that contained the colony.

She had been making a mental note of where they were in the tunnels so that they could retrace their steps to get back to the entrance. Once there Lucy could set the timer on the explosives using the detonator on her wrist, climb out of this stink hole, and get well out of the way of the blast. It was would be easy.

Too easy.

It was all going a bit too smoothly wasn't it? Natsu's words from before were slowly working their way back into her mind. How the villagers had gotten ahold of explosive lacrima and why they had increased the reward so much we're both still things she felt could be explained rationally but… why weren't they doing this themselves? It was certainly safer than getting help from criminals. If the authorities ever found them out they would all be severely punished.

Being a mage may mean execution if caught after the king's ban on magic, but being someone who hired mages was just as bad. The lightest punishment you could get was seizure of all property and imprisonment. And some would consider death far better than that fate.

Her original idea about them just being cowards was beginning to fall apart too. If they were cowardly enough NOT to blow up a colony of rats that threatened their very livelihoods then they couldn't be brave enough to defy the king. As she set the second to the last lacrima into the wall Lucy couldn't help thinking about how it all didn't add up.

Her pride rebelled against her own mind as she shook her head to try and get rid of the irritating thoughts. She could not be wrong. If she was she would never hear the end of it from Natsu. He had likely made all those conclusions out of his own cowardice and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of gloating about it.

The light from the lacrima was beginning to shake, making it hard to see properly.

"Natsu." Lucy hissed looking up at the pink haired boy. Her threat of bodily harm lingered on her lips as she got a good look at his face.

He was staring past her into the darkness with a ghastly look on his face. Eyes dilated, pale as a sheet, and shaking like crazy he clung to the lantern with both hands as he stuttered "L-L-Lucy-san…." he pointed in the direction they came. "Th-there's…. th-there's…."

His reaction was so strong that she felt compelled to slowly turn her head.

Behind her, several pairs of large red eyes stared out of the darkness at them.

Lucy moved backwards towards Natsu as the eyes got closer and closer until their lanterns light exposed the creatures behind them.

Hissing and moving together as a huddled mass of black fur were a group of creatures Lucy could only describe as giant rats. And they were staring at the two mages with eyes filled with feral hunger.

Lucy's hand went instantly to the magic infused whip she kept on her belt ready to defend herself whenever the overgrown rodents decided to lunge. She allowed her eyes to glance behind her at Natsu who hadn't moved an inch and deep into the dark tunnel behind them. There were no rats there as far as she could tell giving them a place to retreat to. But it was also in the opposite direction of the exit.

They were, ironically, trapped like rats.

* * *

Natsu stared at the creatures before them as it dawned on him that it was one of these giant rats he had seen digging outside the tavern the night before. If these were the creatures that the villagers had to deal with then it was no wonder they would hire mages to wipe them out. The rats were at least as big as the average dog if not larger. And worse they looked hungry.

"Natsu."

Lucy's voice brought Natsu out of his stupor. She spoke without looking at him and drew something from her hip. "When I give the word I want you to start running okay?"

She sounded so calm and grounded. "Wh-what are you gonna do?"

"Just run deeper into the tunnel," She ordered sternly.

One of the rats hissed and crouched.

Natsu stepped back and whispered, "Y-yes… ma'am…"

The rat pounced straight at Lucy.

A sudden stream of blue light flashed through the dark tunnel and struck the giant rodent sending it flying back into the hoard with a yelp. Loud squeals of terror spread throughout the group as they scrambled back from the bright stream.

The light was so sudden that Natsu had to shade his eyes with his arm.

"NOW!" he heard Lucy scream.

His eyes still dazzled Natsu twisted around a ran deeper into the tunnel. He could hear the squelched footsteps of Lucy as she ran behind him. But behind her, he could hear the shrieking rats following after them.

His heart was beating in his ears as he felt tears stinging his eyes. In a dark moist tunnel devoured by a horde of giant man-eating rats was not how he wanted to die. And the tunnel seemed to go on and on with no end in site. Not even some small corridor they could duck into to escape.

The lantern that Natsu still clung to was the only thing that lit up the path ahead of them and even then it was only by a few feet. That was how he failed to see the path end in a gaping hole until it was too late. Natsu's arms swung wildly as his own momentum sent him tipping over the edge.

Something tugged on the back of his shirt stopping him from toppling over the edge. He peered over his shoulder to see Lucy clinging to his back as she desperately held onto the edge of the opening. His eyes widened at the sight. "L-Lucy-san…"

The moment was short lived as the wall Lucy was clinging to crumbled under her fingers. They both fell into the dark abyss of the hole.

Bright red eyes stopped at the edge and watched them fall.

It was the last thing Natsu saw before a sharp pain to his head made everything go black.

* * *

As she came around Lucy Ashley felt something soft and warm underneath her. It was in stark contrast to the damp cold air that surrounded her. Allowing herself to enjoy the warmth for just one moment longer she cracked open her eyes.

She was met with the sight of gray cavern walls which glistened in the dim light. Pushing herself up she looked around until she spotted the lantern with the light lacrima inside. Sighing in relief at the thought of not having to stumble around in the dark she heard a groan from underneath her. Looking down, she saw Natsu laying underneath her his head turning as he let out another pained groan.

He appeared to be semi-conscious and laid flat on his back with her now straddling his chest. It didn't take Lucy long to remember and piece together what had happened. After falling into the hole Natsu must have inadvertently broken her fall.

She bit her lip as she stared down at the pained expression on his face. It was possible he could have been injured in the fall. As he let out another pained moan her heart skipped a beat. "H-hey… are you okay?"

He murmured something in his half-conscious state.

Lucy's brow creased in worry. "What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

Natsu's face scrunched up in discomfort. "So…"

She leaned in closer so she could hear.

"So… so… heavy…."

In a moment Lucy's concern disappeared. She grabbed Natsu by the shirt and shook him violently like a ragdoll. "Wake up you lazy slug before I crush you!"

Natsu's eyes opened slowly. "Where… where am I?"

His sight cleared as he stared into Lucy's rage filled face. Instantly his face paled in fear and he dissolved into tears.

Dropping him Lucy stood up and retrieved the lantern. "You're lucky we're still in dangerous territory you spineless worm."

Natsu sat up but flinched and grabbed his head hissing in pain. He located and nursed a sizable bump that had formed from where his head had made contact with the ground. Blinking he slowly took in their surrounding.

"Looks like the rats didn't follow us down the hole at least." Lucy looked around at the cavern as Natsu pushed himself to his feet. It didn't appear that they were in the tunnels any longer but had instead fallen into some sort of cavern system.

She scanned the area around her until her eyes fell on a very familiar looking bag. Walking over, she opened it and found it contained the last unplanted explosive lacrima. Through some miracle the fall hadn't set it off. She withdrew the lacrima and placed it into the pouch on her belt. It may come in handy later.

Natsu came up next to her and looked up at the hole they had fallen through. He sighed, "W-we really lucked out."

"I'm not sure I'd call nearly falling to our deaths lucky." Lucy snorted.

"B-but," he twiddled his fingers together, "if we hadn't fallen in the rats would've gotten us."

"I guess."

They stood there for a moment unsure of what to do next.

"U-Um L-Lucy-san?" Natsu asked shyly.

"What is it?"

He stood there nervously as he avoided her gaze. "Th-thank y-you."

She blinked at him. "For what?"

"Y-You tried to save me. S-so thanks for that," he smiled at her gratefully.

Despite herself Lucy blushed at the sight of his smile. It was just so different from the arrogant grin she had seen when they had first met. It was much more gentle and sincere.

"D-don't be stupid," she looked away immediately. "I was just making sure the lacrima you were carrying didn't explode. If it did it would've brought the walls down on me."

His face fell. "I-I see."

"Regardless, we've gotta start moving. There's no telling if those rats have some other way down here," she began scanning the walls around them until her eyes landed on an opening. "C'mon," she commanded as she headed for the only exit.

Natsu sheepishly followed after her his head downcast.

Neither of them noticed the shattered remains of the detonator scattered on the caves floor. Or the dim glow of the lacrima that now sat in Lucy's pouch.

* * *

 _((Leave it to a prideful Lucy Ashley to ruin what would have otherwise been a touching moment._

Well _it appears that both Natsu and Lucy now know why their job is so_ strange, _or do they? What other mysteries do the two have to uncover, and what about the shattered detonator? How will they complete their mission without it?_

 _NEXT TIME read as Natsu and Lucy find out the true purpose of their mission!_

 _Longest chapter I've made so far I believe, though hopefully I'll manage longer in the future. I hope the story doesn't seem disjointed at all. I wrote this in pieces over the course of a week,_

 _Anyway once again thank you for reading Lean on Me and please review! Feel free to report any typos you find and also share any and all headcanons you might have about Edolas Nalu or the edolas universe in general! And if you like what you've seen so far favorite as well!_

 _I'm hoping to make this a multi-arc story if I can manage. Fingers crossed that my own laziness doesn't ruin me lol.))_


	7. Story 1 Chapter 6

"I swear to god if one more bat lands in my hair I'm going to scream." Lucy frustratingly muttered.

And from the look on her face, Natsu could tell that she meant it.

They had been down in the caverns for what seemed like an eternity though in reality it had likely only been around an hour and a half. Give or take.

Still, even he was beginning to get sick of the color gray. Not to mention there was still the whole giant rat thing to worry about. Natsu hadn't even realized rats could get that big. Or be so terrifying.

He'd managed to more or less get over his initial shock but was still reeling sheerly from how ridiculous the whole situation seemed. To make matters worse, the prickly feeling that always warned him when something big was about to happen had only lessened and not completely disappeared. That could only mean that they still had some further surprises ahead of them.

And he was not looking forward to them.

Lucy meanwhile was more concerned with the seemingly endless caverns ahead of them. She was thinking less of the giant rats and more with the lack of food and water. This job was supposed to have been a breeze. They hadn't bothered bringing any supplies with them outside of the bare essentials necessary for their task.

There was no telling how long it was going to take them to get out. Lucy was already feeling hunger grip her stomach. Skipping out on bargaining with the tavern keeper was beginning to look like a bad idea. Not that she regretted it. Still she'd have gladly given up her last bit of money to get some warm food in her belly.

Her initial idea had been to feel out the air and try and follow whatever air currents there were, but the air around them was stale and motionless. Not to mention chilly. God damn, why did caves have to be so cold? She'd kill to sit by a fire right then and there.

She and Natsu hadn't spoken to each other much at all. Outside of her occasional orders about which direction they'd head in, and that one gripe she had about the bats. Natsu himself hadn't said anything outside of a few muttered 'Yes ma'ams' since their little conversation back in the main cavern. Usually, she would enjoy the silence, but now that they were alone in this remote cave the lack of conversation was beginning to grate on her a little.

Lucy cleared her throat as they walked along and awkwardly began, "So, uh, Natsu eh? I, uh, I always thought that was a girls name."

Natsu didn't reply, instead, his face turned a shade of pink to rival his hair. "It's not…"

She nearly exploded in embarrassment right then and there. Small talk was not the young delinquents forte. Swallowing her pride, Lucy attempted to try something else.

"H-how long have you been in the guild?" she asked picking a random question.

He seemed to reflect for a moment before replying, "I think it's been about… seven years?"

Lucy stopped, "Seven years?!" she hissed quietly.

Natsu jumped and stepped away fearfully.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"I-I dunno…"

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"I-I don't know when I was born…"

Lucy stared at him. "O-oh…"

That had been worse than the name question. Now the air between them was awkward. Natsu avoided Lucy's eyes whenever she turned toward him and Lucy mentally beat herself up for bringing up something she shouldn't.

But seriously who didn't know their own age? Even as an orphan herself she still knew her age. And any orphanage would keep a record of births.

Her shame and curiosity did battle in the back of her mind as she was tempted to ask Natsu to give more details about the subject. However, this hardly seemed to be the time to prod him about it. Especially as she noticed the light lacrima in their lantern dimming by the minute. And with no exit in sight to boot.

Great.

Their steps became slower and more careful as the light became weaker and weaker until it had dimmed to barely a flicker. Lucy had taken to keeping her hand against the wall to keep her balance and only the shuffling of feet behind her let her know that Natsu was keeping up. They were able to manage like this for awhile until the light suddenly completely went out.

Lucy shook the lantern desperately but lacrima inside had clearly used up all of it's magic energy leaving them stranded in the dark. She felt a hand clumsily grasp her arm and knew that it was Natsu trying to keep track of her.

Abandoning the now-useless lamp Lucy grabbed Natsu by the wrist and pulled him along with her as she continued to navigate the cave. Her hand slid along the wall as they stumbled along. She was beginning to lose her cool. With the light now gone they had no way of seeing where they were going. They couldn't even tell if they had been heading in the right direction this whole time.

Her grip on Natsu's wrist tightened like a lifeline. If they lost track of one another in this darkness they would never be able to find each other again. And as much of an annoyance as Natsu was Lucy didn't want to be left alone at the moment.

Natsu flinched in pain but said nothing as Lucy led him along. He couldn't help but feel hopeless. And he knew Lucy was beginning to feel the same way. Her breathing was getting heavier and more panicked. Like him, her palms were getting sweaty and he could feel her fingers shake.

It was weird. He'd always imagined himself going out as a shaking teary eyed mess. Yet now that it was actually happening he felt a lot more composed. Still a nervous wreck but not so much that he had curled himself into a ball.

He supposed it was because Lucy was there with him. Her presence made him feel oddly secure. Not as secure as he felt behind the wheel of his car, or course, but close enough.

Lucy finally came to a stop and slid down the wall to her knees pulling Natsu down with her.

"L-Lucy-san?" Natsu asked.

When no reply came he repeated himself. "Lucy-san? Lucy-san is everything okay?"

"No. Everything's NOT okay!" she snapped back. She leaned against the cold cavern wall dejectedly. "We're trapped in a dark underground cave with giant man-eating rats with no food, no water, no light, no nothing!"

Natsu didn't have a reply. He wanted to comfort her but he didn't know what to say.

"I-It's okay Lucy-san… You don't have to cry."

"I'm not crying," she attempted to retort with a broken version of her usual threatening voice. Wiping her eyes and nose with the back of her hands.

"You shouldn't wipe your nose like that." Natsu silently told her, still in a comforting voice.

"Don't tell me what to-" she suddenly stopped and stared at Natsu.

He awkwardly stared back unsure of what had caught her attention.

"L-Lucy-san what is it?" he asked carefully.

She reached up slowly and touched his face causing him to flush. Her face came closer to his as he instinctively bent backward.

Lucy's eye's narrowed as she muttered, "I can see you."

It took Natsu a moment to absorb what she had said and realize its significance. They could see each other! And if they could see each other…

"There must be some light around here!" Lucy stood and began to once more hurriedly head down the cavern as Natsu tried to keep up behind her.

Lucy could feel her hope rise once more as she realized the significance of this discovery. There HAD to be some form of light up ahead. If they had truly been in complete darkness she and Natsu's sight would never have adjusted enough to see one another. There was no guarantee it was an exit but anything was better than sitting on their asses waiting to die.

The further they went the brighter it became.

Finally, Lucy and Natsu stumbled upon the source of the light as the cavern suddenly seemed to come to an end and open up into a larger room. They blinked as they let their eyes adjust to the brightness.

"I-I d-don't think this is a cave Lucy-san…"

Before them, the walls were lined with a mixture of light lacrima and torches. A number of man-made tunnels had openings all along the walls of the room. Tables, chairs, and cots lined the walls and a pile of chests and carts lay just a few feet away.

Lucy moved slowly into the room as she looked around her with a look of confusion on her face. "What is this?" she questioned aloud.

Moving slowly over to one of the carts she peered inside and stood transfixed on whatever was inside. Natsu silently came up behind her and looked inside the cart himself.

Piled up inside of the cart were an assortment of crystals of varying sizes that he instantly recognized. Lucy hurried over to the chests and threw them open one by one to reveal similar crystals of differing shapes, sizes, colors, and makes.

Lucy breathed slowly as she turned to look at him with a serious look on her face. "These are Lacrima." She stiffly wandered among the chests until she came to one that had been torn apart and it's contents strewn all over the floor. Hunching down, she picked the shattered remains of lacrima up off of the floor and looked at them.

Natsu nervously stood to the side and he glanced around him. The prickling on the back of his neck was flaring up again, and it had him worried. "Lucy-san…" he whispered.

She seemed to ignore him as she proceeded to dig through the cots as she hurriedly seemed to be looking for something. As she tore apart the sheets a book tumbled out and flopped on the ground. Snatching the book from the ground Lucy flipped through it expectantly.

Natsu stood rooted to the spot as he listened. He could hear a horrifyingly familiar scratching sound coming from one of the tunnels. "L-Lucy-san… L-Lucy-san… the rats…" he whimpered.

Lucy whirled around, grabbed Natsu by the wrist, and took off down one of the tunnels. "Natsu, there's been a change in plans! I'm going to set the timed explosives now!"

"What? Why?!" He was panicking at this point. The rats were back and Lucy had seemingly lost it.

"There's no time to explain now! I saw a map of the tunnels back there-"

"In the book?"

"IN THE BOOK!"

They were running now with the screeches of the hungry rats echoing in the caves behind them.

"I-Is the b-book also the reason you're going to blow us up!?"

"Oh shut up the entrance is just down this tunnel!"

Almost on cue, a familiar shaft of light appeared as they turned a corner. "Yes, now I just have to set the bombs and-"

She stared down at her wrist and stopped.

"Natsu?" she asked stiffly.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Where's the detonator?"

"Wh-what?!"

"The detonator! It's not on my wrist!" She patted herself down trying desperately to find the detonator until her hand landed on a familiar round shape in her pouch. She brought out the last explosive. Lucy's blood ran cold as it glowed with a dim blue light in her hand.

How long had it been activated? When was it going to go off? Panic gripped her mind as she whirled around towards Natsu, "Get up the rope now!"

He was hunched just under the large opening above them. Slowly Natsu turned towards her with a frayed rope cord in his hand. "I… don't think I can."

Lucy looked up the hole to see what remained of the rope dangling just out of their reach from the edge. She glared at Natsu, "What the hell happened?!"

"W-why do you expect me to know?!" He raised his arms to shield his face just as Lucy snatched the frayed cord from his hand and inspected it.

"This has been cut!" She threw the rope to the ground and screamed, "THOSE DICKS!"

At this point, Natsu was completely lost. He had no idea who "those dicks" were, or what Lucy had gotten into her head to make her act this way but as the sounds of the rats came closer and closer he was slowly beginning to crack.

"Lucy we need to get out of here now! Can't you find another exit in that book you found?!"

"There IS no other exit! All of the mines exits were shut down years ago! This shaft is the only way in or out now!"

"So…" his shoulders fell as he collapsed against the wall. "this is where we die?"

"No, we're not going to die here!" Lucy yelled at him not at all convincing even herself. "There has got to be a way out of this! We just have to keep looking!"

"You just said this was the only exit," Natsu commented dejectedly.

"Yeah but-"

"So you've suddenly learned how to climb sheer walls?"

"Of course not-"

"Then you can fly now?"

"Now is NOT the time for sarcasm!"

"I'm not trying to be," he sighed. "What do you think will get us first the explosion or the rats?"

"What the hell is WRONG with you?! I would think you'd be panicking and clamoring up the walls like you did last night!"

"You mean when I saw the rat?"

"Yes, when you saw the-" Lucy fell silent and looked away from him shamefaced.

"Well, last night I was more concerned about waking you up than anything else." He buried his head in his arms. "But then the rat got away before you could see it. Course I can't blame you for not believing me. Giant rats aren't really common."

Lucy didn't reply. It wasn't just what he'd seen last night. Natsu had known something was wrong the whole time and had told her as such. But by then she was so set on her opinion of him that she hadn't listened.

She argued with herself that she had had no way of knowing the true facts before they had crawled into this hell hole and it wasn't her fault that they were about to be eaten alive by giant rabid rodents. Her feelings, however, told a different story.

She stared up at the hole her mind slowly working something out.

The rats were getting nearly upon them when Lucy grabbed Natsu and dragged him over to the hole. "Wh-what're you doing?"

"Shut up and do exactly as I say." Lucy hissed. She backed up against the wall, bent down, and put her hands out over one another with the palms up. "I'm going to give you a boost. It should get you high enough to grab the end of the rope and haul yourself out of the hole."

"But what about you?"

Lucy's face darkened and she sneered at him transforming her face into the most intimidating glare she could muster. "DO IT."

After giving himself a moment to screech, Natsu did as he had been told and stepped onto Lucy's hands and shoulders and reached for the rope. Lucy stared down the tunnel at the fast approaching red eyes of the rats and tried not to drop the boy on her shoulders on the floor.

She bit her tongue for her own stupidity. "Hurry up!"

Natsu grasped the rope and struggled to the edge of the hole successfully grasping the side and pulling himself up. With his weight now off of her shoulders, Lucy's hand immediately went to her belt and grabbed her weapon just as the army of giant rats flooded the area around her. Pressing a button on the cylinder handle a bright beam of light lit up the dark corners of the tunnel as she whipped it around driving the rats back.

But she knew it was only temporary. Each time her whip took out a rat, three more took it's place as even more rats scrambled from the darkness towards her. It was a hopeless fight. Lucy was vastly outnumbered, the whips magic charge was running low, her back was against the wall, and she had just given up her only plan of escape to save someone else.

She had known some battle worn mercenaries who would argue that going down doing battle against innumerable foes while your comrade escaped with his life was a fantastic way of meeting one's end.

But Lucy wasn't a battle worn mercenary, and all she could think about was how stupid she was to throw her life away for a guy she'd known for a maximum of a day and a half. She was going against every standard she had set for herself that had kept her alive ever since she had lost her parents five years before.

As far as she was concerned she was dying in the most stupid way possible.

The rats were swarming now and her whip was already beginning to weaken. As she turned to lash back a horde of rats that was beginning to surge, another took the opportunity to jump on her back and bite her in the shoulder. Screaming in pain Lucy painfully ripped the offending creature off of her back and tossed it against the wall only for another to latch onto her leg and tear at her thigh. Kicking it off only caused her to stumble backward and land with her back against the wall as her weapon went flying out of her hand and into the swarm.

Now weaponless Lucy stood cornered and helpless as the rats moved in ready to swarm over her and tear apart her flesh. Frozen with terror she could do nothing as they moved closer to her teeth gnashing. Squeezing her eyes shut she prayed that it would be over quickly.

"Grab the rope! Quickly!"

Lucy's eyes shot open as she saw a lifeline hanging in the air in front of her. She desperately clung to it as it was pulled up through the hole. The rats quickly filled the space where she had once stood and were now clamoring on top of one another trying to reach her ankles.

Ignoring the pain in her shoulder and thigh, Lucy kicked along the wall to hurry with the escape. As she did so the active lacrima bomb she had in her satchel fell out and into the swarm. The last glimpse she had of it was as it was being swallowed whole by one of the rodents.

Once she had reached the rim she scrambled to get up and out of the hole. In her desperation, she slipped and nearly fell to her death only for two hands to grasp her arm and pull her to safety.

Falling to the ground, she gasped for air hoping for a moment's rest. But the same hands that had saved here were now pulling her up and rushing her along uphill through a cluster of tightly compact trees.

Even when the trees ended she didn't stop running. Even when the screeching of the rats began to echo in the distance behind her. Even when a massive explosion shook the air and knocked her down she kept going. Running and running until a familiar four wheeler sat in front of her. She felt herself being shoved into the passenger seat before the car took off recklessly and sped away even farther.

Lucy sat frozen in the seat. She didn't know for how long she sat there in shock. The car had come to a stop at some point but she couldn't tell for how long.

Her mind was blank as she stared through the windshield.

After what must've seemed like forever, Lucy slowly turned her head towards the driver seat where Natsu sat staring at her worriedly. He was caked with mud and leaves, his clothes were torn in several places, his skin was scratched, and blood dripped from one of the shallow cuts on his cheek. She took in the pathetic sight and realized that this, this was her rescuer.

And suddenly all the hunger and exhaustion overtook Lucy Ashley as her eyes closed, she slumped sideways and passed out.

* * *

((yet another chapter I wrote in pieces. Also one of the longest.

I think I was a bit weak as far as the action is concerned but I hope I was able to get the general scene across.

Since this takes place before the edolas arc, I feel the need to hammer in that I imagine that Lucy Ashley had forced herself to act very self reliant since her parents died and nothing has ever happened before now to make her question that.

Natsu on the other hand has grown up in the guild where he survived relying on his guildmates for help. A little too much sadly as he now lacks any real confidence in his own abilities.

I think these two manage to rub off on one another eventually.

Also as far as future plans for this story goes, my current plan is to format this with multiple stories of various lengths detailing their adventures before the Edolas arc in the series proper took place. If you guys have any suggestions or ideas or things you'd like to see feel free to leave a review with the details and I'll see if I can fit the ideas into a story.

Once again please review with your impression of the story or just this chapter in general. Feel free to report any typos, misprints, or errors you may find in the writing. Finally share your personal Edolas!fairy tail headcanon if you have one!

Thanks for reading, and expect another chapter! ))


	8. Story 1 Chapter 7

"Oh my god!" Natsu caught Lucy in his arms as she toppled over. Her head rested on his shoulder and only her warm breath on his neck assured him she was still breathing. Natsu immediately set to work.

He considered returning to the village for a doctor but dropped the idea. Looking back on what Lucy had said in the cave Natsu wasn't sure if the village was all that safe. Someone had cut the rope and stranded the two of them in those mines. The village was the only settlement around as far as Natsu could remember.

Getting out of the car he pulled Lucy from the passenger seat. Setting her on the grassy forest floor doing his best to be as gentle as possible. As he laid her down he noticed that she was completely smeared with blood. Swallowing he inspected her wounds. Praying all the time that all the blood was just from the rats she had killed. Or maybe from the small scrapes she had gotten from the branches of the trees they had run through.

His hopes were soon dashed when he found the bite marks.

One was on her upper right shoulder while the other was on the outer part of her left thigh. The skin had been torn open in both places and blood was still coming from the wounds. Looking at the passenger side of the car Natsu was horrified to find the seat stained with blood.

Natsu struggled to steady his breathing.

She needed first aid immediately. Hurrying over to the trunk of his car he dug through the contents until he retrieved the med kit he kept in case of emergencies. He had only had experience in dressing serious wounds a few times before but he hoped it would be enough.

Returning to Lucy's side Natsu poured some disinfectant on both of the bite marks. Even while unconscious Lucy still seemed to flinch in pain as the burning liquid poured over her wounds. Ignoring her groans of pain Natsu pressed a cloth against her shoulder and thigh to stop the bleeding before bandaging the injuries. Sitting back on his haunches Natsu overlooked his handiwork. It wasn't a professional job by any means but, at least, the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

He sat there unsure of what to do next. As his stomach growled he realized that neither he or Lucy had eaten since yesterday. Food and water would be a major priority. Unfortunately, it was also one of the only things he didn't carry around in his trunk with him.

Before now whenever he was hungry he could always just drive somewhere to get something to eat or head back to the guild. But that wasn't an option in this situation. He had already decided not to go back to the village, at least not until Lucy woke up, and the guild was too far away. He doubted Lucy would be happy with him if he just up and abandoned the job without consulting her.

As a child, he had often scavenged around for berries. But he hadn't done that in years and doubted he could still remember what was edible and what wasn't. Water was another story. Finding a stream might not be too difficult, but the issue was Lucy.

Leaving her wounded and unconscious out in the open was dangerous and if she woke up while he was gone she'd likely murder him. But, he couldn't carry her around with him while he searched for water. But the sun was going down. If he waited until Lucy woke up it'd be too late to find water, build a fire, and maybe food.

Looking around him for an answer to his predicament he looked back at his car and the obvious answer it presented. The backseat wasn't the most comfortable of places to sleep but it would shield Lucy from the elements freeing Natsu up for a few hours to find some water and maybe food if he was lucky.

Opening the door to the backseat of his car he began dragging Lucy across the ground. Pulling her out had been one thing, but getting her back in was another.

Picking her up and placing her in delicately was out of the question. Natsu wasn't nearly strong enough. He tried pushing her in but she was heavier than she looked and he nearly dropped her twice. Finally, he got into the back seat himself and, through much effort, managed to pull Lucy inside. He set her on the backseat and spent the next few minutes untangling her limbs and getting her into a comfortable position.

By now Natsu was out of breath and slumped against the side of his car. After a few minutes break, he retrieved the blanket and pillow he kept around in case he had to spend a night in his car while on a job. He placed the pillow under Lucy's head and covered her with the wool blanket.

Natsu sighed in satisfaction. This set up would have to do until Lucy woke up. Pushing the loose strands of hair out of her face he was happy to see that her expression was peaceful and content.

She had saved him twice in the same day. First when she caught him before he could fall down the hole, though they ended up falling anyway. And again when she sent him ahead of her out of the hole. If he had been the one left down there he would have died. He had no doubts about that.

It had taken him longer than expected to untie the remaining rope and lower it down to Lucy. Because of that, she had nearly been killed. Natsu couldn't help but beat himself up over that. However, it had also shown him that his original assumption had been false. When Lucy claimed to have only caught him to keep the explosive lacrima from going off that had been a lie. If she was that kind of person she would never have sent him up the hole first instead of using him as a boost for herself.

He smiled at her sleeping face gratefully. "You're a lot kinder than I first thought Lucy-san," he whispered more to himself than to her. "Thank you."

Closing the door of the car behind him he took a canteen and headed off into the woods.

* * *

 _Lucy could remember the smell of furnishing polish and blood._

 _The night it happened had been rainy. A gray shadow had been cast over the entire household. Yet it had been a deceptively happy evening._

 _Her parents had come home from a party they had attended. Despite how obviously tired he was her father had played a game with her while her mother had sat in a chair and read a book. She couldn't remember what book it had been._

 _The rest was fuzzy._

 _She could remember feeling tired, being brought up to her room, and the feel of her father's mustache against her cheek as he kissed her goodnight._

 _There was a blank in her memory after that. Likely because she had fallen asleep. But after that, she could remember her mother and the tall windows of the hall._

 _Her mother had taken her to a room and put her in a closet. She had complained that her father would be upset about her staying up late. But her mother had said something, what she couldn't remember, but it had been convincing enough to make Lucy sit quietly in the closet._

 _The door had been left open a crack and she had peered through it to see outside. Her mother was standing there with her father, and there had been other people there as well. A group of dark forms who held shiny pipes in their hands._

 _And then everything went red._

* * *

Lucy shot up and banged her head on the ceiling of the car.

Hissing, she fell backward onto a pillow and nursed the red mark on her forehead. Slowly she opened her eyes to see the interior of the fourwheeler. As she attempted to push herself up, gently this time, she felt a sharp stab of pain in her shoulder and nearly fell back again.

Rolling over, she pushed herself up with her good arm so that she was sitting up in the seat. The blanket that had been covering her slipped from her body and she was met with a cold rush of air. Peering out the window, Lucy saw that it was night now.

She could also see the flickering light of a fire just outside of the car. Pushing the door open Lucy stumbled as another stab of pain shot through her body, this time from her leg. Despite this, she managed to limp out of the car.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Lucy turned to see Natsu sitting with his back against the car.

Closing the door behind her Lucy slid down so that she was sitting next to him. She winced as she did so. Now in the light of the campfire, she could see that both her shoulder and thigh had been rather clumsily bandaged.

When she glanced questioningly at Natsu he was staring into the fire with a far off look. The shadows on his face made him look different from usual. How Lucy couldn't say. But definitely different.

"S-so," he began. "how do you feel?"

"Like I was just run through a strainer," she answered curtly. "Hurts like hell, but I'm not dead."

"O-oh. I see." He reached to his side and handed her a canteen. "H-here. I found some water."

Lucy took a swig from the canteen. The water was cool and felt good against her dry throat. She hadn't realized just how thirsty she was. And the water pouring into her empty stomach also reminded her of her hunger.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Lucy almost asked Natsu if he had any food but stopped herself. Fingering the bandages on her arm she stared into the fire just as Natsu was.

Lucy knew that she should thank him. It had seemed as though he had run away the second he had gotten out of the hole but he'd proved her wrong. She also knew better than to pretend that her wounds had been magically bandaged by some unknown force. Natsu had taken care of her, and she knew it.

"Hungry?"

She jumped when Natsu offered her a leaf with a pile of berries and nuts on it.

He stared at her with a confused look. "N-not hungry?"

Lucy quietly took the makeshift leaf plate from him and started eating using it as an excuse for her silence. Natsu tossed another log on the fire and sat with his knees to his chest. Neither of them spoke for some minutes.

Finally, Natsu asked, "What did you mean by what you said? B-Back in the tunnel?"

Lucy stopped eating and stared at him with a confused look.

"W-when you found out about the cut rope you yelled something about 'those dicks'?" he reminded her.

Looks of remembrance, anger, and then contemplation flashed across her face. She glared at the darkness before she asked. "Do you have that book I found?"

Natsu nodded and retrieved it from where he'd stashed it in the car and handed it to Lucy. He leaned over her shoulder as she flipped through the pages where there were rows and rows of notes and numbers.

"You were right about this job being weird," she began. "I started thinking it too once we were in the burrow. I saw right away that the tunnels had to have been man made. It was weird that the villagers hadn't mentioned it, but I was dumb enough to ignore it. When the rats showed up I couldn't ignore it anymore.

Not mentioning that the burrow was man made was one thing, but failing to tell us that the rats were giant mutants was another. Then there was the fact that the people hadn't simply called in the royal guards. They would have been better equipped to deal with the issue than any mages guild, so why not use them?

It all came together in the caves, though. When I saw all those lacrima sitting in those carts and chests, I realized that that must've been how the rats got so big. Some of the lacrima crystals had been shattered and I could see teeth marks on the shards. I don't know how long they've been eating the lacrima that was left down there, but it was long enough for the magic to affect them.

This book details dates of shipments and names of clients. The lacrima were being smuggled all over Edolas. When the giant rats showed up the smugglers abandoned their operation and were left with a huge case of damage control."

"So," Natsu asked disturbed, "The villagers?"

"Are smugglers. Or the headman is at least. That was why they couldn't just call in the royal guard. If they'd taken care of it, they would've found out about the whole operation and the smugglers would face either life in prison or execution. They had the means to get rid of the rats and cover up the operation but none of them were willing to risk their lives for it.

That's where we came in."

She slammed the book shut and tossed it to Natsu. He fumbled as he caught it having been completely absorbed in Lucy's explanation.

"They sent out a job request with a big reward for a seemingly simple job. And when that didn't get instant results they instantly ramped up the reward. I was right about one thing. They were desperate. The rats remained a local problem for the most part, but it would only be a matter of time before they spread to other villages. Once that happened the guards would have to get involved and they'd get caught.

I don't know if they were planning to kill us from the start or not. Either way, I'm sure at some point they realized both how dangerous and how useful we were. On the one hand, we might end up exposing their whole operation, but on the other if the explosion attracted the attention of the authorities and they found all that lacrima they would also find the bodies of two illegal mages in the rubble."

Natsu shivered beside her clearly imagining the worst.

"Either way, we had to go. They wouldn't even need to do it themselves. There was only one way in or out. Someone followed us and cut the rope after we went in. We would either be buried alive when the lacrima collapsed the tunnels or we'd be killed by the rats. And then they'd be free to start their operation over again from scratch."

Silence consumed them as they both sat there listening to the campfire crackle.

"So that's it. The whole thing was a fake." Natsu sighed. "Jet and Droy are never going to let me live this down."

Lucy snorted at his pathetic tone. "What do those dorks have to do with it?"

"W-well, I've always been able to tell when stuff is about to happen. Sometimes it's good but usual it's bad." He looked away embarrassed. "I-I've always said so at least. Jet and Droy have never believed me. If we go back to the guild empty handed there's no way they'd let it go."

She looked at him with a speculative look on her face, "Are you trying to tell me you have a sixth sense?"

Natsu's eyes widened and he shook his head violently. "N-no, no, nothing like that! I-It's more like instinct or intuition! I get this weird feeling on the back of my neck and back that won't go away until whatever it happens."

Lucy looked thoughtful and then asked dangerously, "And you got this feeling before we went into the rat's den?"

He tried to scoot away from her but Lucy put her arm around his shoulder and gripped the collar of his shirt with the other. Natsu's hands flew to his head and pleaded, "I-I'm sorry! I-I tried to tell you, but I was scared you wouldn't believe me! Please don't hurt me!"

To his surprise, Lucy let go of his shirt collar though her arm remained draped over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," she sighed. "It's not your fault."

Natsu stared at Lucy unsure of what to expect next from her.

"You tried to tell me something was wrong and made a damn good argument for it. And I didn't listen." She avoided looking at him. "So you can drop it."

A smile came to Natsu's face. "Thank yo-"

Lucy's arm tightened around his neck in a headlock laughing heartily as she did so. Natsu kicked his legs and whined multiple apologies before his companion finally let him go. He rubbed his neck tenderly as Lucy stood up.

"Natsu," she began. He looked up to see her smiling with a malicious glint in her eyes. "How do you feel about revenge?"

* * *

(( Aww look they finally had a moment! And all of the mysteries are solved!

Also decided to give you guys a peek at the gritty details of Lucy Ashleys history. I doubt it was all that effective.  
For the record, no, Edolas!Natsu isn't psychic just receptive. Kind of like women's intuition. Except he's a dude. He also comes off to me as the kind of guy who tries to be prepared. Hence all the stuff in the trunk. Course he can't plan for every outcome.  
And it looks like Lucy Ashley is planning something. Here's hoping it doesn't end badly. Maybe these two kids will walk away with something after all.

I feel much better about this chapter than I did about the last one. Probably because I managed to write it all at once rather than in bits and pieces. Plus I managed to give some better character scenes between Lucy and Natsu in this one.

I'm having a funny time while writing this fanfic. See I'm trying to leave the series itself alone until a lot more content is released so I can take it all in at once. Course since I'm writing a fairy tail fic at the same time the temptation is pretty high!

Hahah anyway thanks to everyone who sent me words of encouragement through the reviews! I ask everyone to continue sending me helpful reviews so i can do my best to improve this story.  
Once again I'd love to hear all the headcanons my readers have about the Edolas characters. It might generate some neat ideas in this pretty little head of mine.

As always thanks for reading! Hopefully I can generate the next chapter soon enough.))


	9. Story 1 Chapter 8

Natsu had never formed a concrete opinion on revenge. He had simply never thought about it before. There were times when he'd felt upset with someone and wished they could get their comeuppance, but it never lasted long. Grudges were something Natsu never bothered to keep.

Most of his guildmates were good people, even if they did pick on him. Sometimes Natsu contemplated taking some petty form of revenge on Jet and Droy, but he usually managed to chicken himself out of it. The consequences of pulling some prank on two of the strongest guys in the guild was reason enough never to go through with it.

But this time, was rather different. An attempt had been made on his and Lucy's life and as a direct result, Lucy had nearly been killed. So when she had suggested the idea of vengeance against the smugglers it hadn't taken much prompting to persuade him to take part.

Of course, how she had convinced him to steal a pair of clippers from a shed and break into the basement of the tavern they had stayed in the night before was still something Natsu had no answer to. She hadn't even threatened him. Lucy had simply asked something from him and almost out of habit he had said yes.

So that was why he was crawling around the corner of the tavern to the cellar door with a pair of stolen clippers in hand. The windows were dark and lifeless, but that was no guarantee that no one was awake. He was terrified that any moment the tavern keepers head would pop out of the window with a knife or sneak up behind him with some blunt weapon and beat his head in.

Even with those fears haunting him he continued on.

Once he reached the cellar door he glanced around him nervously before pressing his ear against the door. He couldn't hear anything but this gave him little comfort. Carefully he lifted the clippers to the chain and applied his weight to the lever. The rusty chain gave little resistance and came apart with a terrifyingly loud clang.

Natsu inhaled and held his breath as he glanced over the building. When there was no reaction he quickly pushed the chains out of the way. Opening the cellar door, he silently stepped inside and gave one last glance around before shutting it behind him.

* * *

Lucy sat in the dark.

The armchair she had situated herself in was far more comfortable than the couch she had sat on the day before. A definite improvement for her back though she now had to fight not to nod off right then and there.

Her original scheme had involved a lot more physical work on her part but Natsu had been strongly against it. He had kept going on and on about her injuries and the blood loss and how she shouldn't strain herself too hard. Even after she had pulled out her usual glare and threat combo he had remained adamant. In the end, she conceded and let him have his way.

The memory of it still irritated her. Lucy wasn't used to people fussing over her when she got hurt. It seemed like such a pointless thing to do. She could take care of herself just fine, and had already spent the past few hours eating, drinking, and giving her wounds time to heal.

Natsu had no business telling her what to do. Though she begrudgingly had to admit that a part of her kinda liked it. And she buried that part of herself deep into her subconscious.

Lucy didn't have time to deal with the new and unfamiliar feeling.

She had a mission to carry out.

A clock on the wall began to strike the hour. It was three in the morning. He would be arriving soon.

She knew that the headman wouldn't just leave things as they were. The explosion would have been heard all the way from the village, so he would have known that the bombs had successfully gone off. But he would want to be sure.

If it had been her, she would have headed out at the earliest opportunity to make sure that the job had been done. She would want to see that the burrow had been destroyed and the mages nowhere to be seen. Then she could rest easy.

Lucy couldn't remember if she and Natsu had left any traces as they had escaped. It was likely they had. The absence of the car at the site would be a dead give away that they had escaped. If the headman discovered that his would be victims had escaped-

She heard the front door slam.

Narrowing her brown eyes a grin spread across Lucy's face. So he had found out. Perfect.

The footsteps got louder and louder as they approached the room. The door flew open and the headman rushed in and headed straight for the desk on the other side of the room. He tore the desk open and began digging through the papers.

Lucy was sitting in an armchair just behind the door so the old man hadn't seen her. With a quick movement of her hand, she slammed the door shut and flicked the light on. The old man twirled around and caught full sight of her.

His eyes widened in shock but he managed to keep himself composed. He put on the same frail old man act that had worked so well during their first meeting. "M-My dear!" he gasped. "You startled me!"

God, he was a fantastic actor. Lucy couldn't fault herself for being taken in. "I bet," she replied her back against the door refusing to take her eyes off the man.

"I-I must say when we heard the explosion and you failed to return we had feared the worst!" He rubbed his hands together in a frantic manner. "I've only just returned from the burrow."

"I know."

He seemed to be taken aback by her reply. "W-well it is good to see you alive! Did your partner escape as well? Where is he now?"

"Drop the niceties." Lucy snarled. "I know everything."

The headman stiffened and then sighed. "I see. That is unfortunate."

In a moment, the old man seemed to transform. He suddenly stood much straighter and taller as his hunch magically disappeared. His lean body seemed to gain muscle, his cane was clutched tight in a strong fist, and that long beard suddenly seemed to hang loosely from his face.

"Nice costume," she complimented. "Gotta say you really had me fooled. Despite how cartoonish it all was, you played the part of a decrepit old man amazingly well."

"I will take that as a compliment." his voice no longer sounded like a squeaky hinge and instead rang smooth and silvery. Reaching up, he pulled off the false beard and wig to reveal a head of blue hair which he combed back out of his face. As he did so he rubbed some makeup off his brow to show an odd tattoo.

Glaring Lucy got straight to the point, "Who are you?"

In the dim light of the lamp, the man grinned at her, "I thought you knew everything?"

"Shut up and answer the question."

He chuckled condescendingly, "You can call me Bora." he approached her. "Now why don't you tell me how much you know?"

Pulling out a small dagger Lucy stuck it out defensively in front of her. "Back off."

Bora put his hands up with a calming smile on his face. "Now now be careful with that thing. You could cut yourself."

Lucy snarled at him, "Step back."

His smile faltered as she gripped the dagger in her hand. Bora did as she asked and backed up until he was standing next to the desk once more. "There. Now, why don't you put that dagger away."

"I'm gonna say no. For some reason, I feel a little better having it out. At least so long as I'm in the same room as you."

The blue haired man's face fell as he gave an exaggerated look of hurt, "Don't you trust me?"

Lucy didn't answer and continued to glare at the man.

Sighing he repeated his previous question, "How much do you know?"

"You're a smuggler. You failed to handle the lacrima you were selling and, as a result, you ended up with a giant rat problem. You couldn't let the royal guard get involved so instead you sent out a request to remaining illegal guilds. We showed up, you sent us to clean up your mess, and when we weren't useful anymore you made sure to cut off our only chance for escape. Did I sum it up nicely?"

Bora frowned and asked, "How did you escape? I'm sure we cut the rope high enough that you couldn't reach it."

Smiling Lucy replied, "That was where you screwed up. You shouldn't have hired two mages."

He thought for a moment then smiled at her with a look that frankly disturbed her. "Did you use your little friend as your personal ladder? Is that why he isn't here? My you are a cold blooded bitch aren't you?"

Her face remained passive.

He laughed. "I am impressed. Betrayal is a commonality in my business. Business partners, associates, comrades, anyone can be thrown under the bus at any time." Bora began to approach her again. "Leaving someone holding the bag is one thing, but you? You fed your baggage to a horde of monsters!"

Lucy raised the dagger once more her eyes widening. Boras' face had contorted into a terrifying look of bemusement and glee.

"How did it feel?! Were you scared? Relieved?! Do you feel any guilt at all?!" his voice was ringing loud now. "It was easy wasn't it? Him or you? Obvious choice! How do you rationalize it? Survival? Necessity? Perhaps he was just foolish for trusting you?"

She swiped at the man with the dagger, "Stay back! I'm warning you!"

"Oh, I'm not too worried about that."

The door swung open behind her and struck Lucy in the back. The dagger flew from her hand and a fat arm wrapped around her throat as sausage like fingers restrained her wrists behind her back.

A familiar voice hissed in her ear, "Nice to see ya again girlie." She nearly gagged as the rotten breath of the tavern keeper flowed into her nose.

"You know there are things called breath mints right?" she mocked defiantly.

He growled as his grip on her tightened painfully, "If you have any brains left you'd keep your smarmy mouth shut."

Lucy's gasped for breath as he increased pressure on her throat. She was choking and she knew it. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to focus her breathing and maintain her consciousness.

"Come come loosen your grip a little. She can't speak if you hold on too tight." Bora advised his goonie.

The tavern keeper grunted, "Got it, boss."

The pressure on Lucy's throat loosened just enough for her to breath while his grip around her wrists remained painfully strong. She coughed and gasped for air bringing tears to the corners of her eyes. It was a pathetic sight. Despite this, she glared at Bora with bleary eyes.

"Now that we're not swinging daggers in each others faces," Bora's voice no longer rang with a high-pitched glee. Instead, it was steady and compassionate. "We can begin talking business."

He wandered over to the window and crossed his arms around his back. "You've managed to uncover our entire operation over the course of a day, survived our attempt on your life, and even had the nerve to come into my house and hold me a knife point. Of course, the last one was rather foolish. You didn't seriously think I would be dumb enough to wander around without some kind of backup?"

Lucy didn't want to admit that she actually had thought that. It was a stupid mistake.

"But you did fix our rat problem. Sure we lost a base but there are hundreds of abandoned mines in this area. It won't be too difficult to locate a new one and operations can begin anew. So I'm feeling in a charitable mood." he turned around and looked at her once more.

Bora nodded to the tavern keeper and almost on cue he removed his arm from her throat and instead used it to grab the back of her hair and push her forward. She was forced to stand in front of the blue haired jackal as he grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.

"I'm only going to give you one chance," he moved his face close to hers. "Join my racket."

Lucy frowned at him. "You can't be serious…"

"Oh but I am! You're an intelligent, ruthless, and extremely attractive woman. You'd make a lovely addition to my little gang!" His face was now so close to her own she could feel his breath on her face. "If you're lucky I might even let you be my woman. Oh, and I should point out that I don't take no for an answer. It might seem a bit cliche but what it essentially boils down to is this. Join me, or die."

She didn't have to think about it.

Lucy gave her reply by spitting in Bora's smug face.

He pulled away from her and silently wiped the spittle from his face. "That's… unfortunate."

The thugs fingers moved from her wrists to her throat and squeezed the breath out of her. She kicked at the hunk of meat behind her and clawed at his thick fingers and arms. The air in her lungs flowed out but none flowed in again.

Lucy choked as tears streamed from her eyes. What little strength she had been leaving her. Her mind was growing fuzzier and fuzzier.

She knew that she should have said yes. It would have been so easy. All she had to do was agree and then betray him the first opportunity she got. She had done it so many times before.

But something Bora had said had haunted her. He had called her cold-blooded and ruthless all while looking at her with eyes of… admiration. Something in her had recoiled in disgust at that. The fact that a man like this would look at her like that made her sick. It made her feel disgusting.

Perhaps she was fooling herself or perhaps she was in denial but she refused to believe that Bora was right about her. She was not a traitor. She was not a cold-blooded killer. She was not like Bora.

Lucy's vision was beginning to go dark as she felt her consciousness fading.

She wondered where Natsu was. If he had managed to do what she had told him to do. Bora thought she had left him to die, so he wouldn't be looking for him. Even if she had screwed up he would still get away. Natsu would get back to the guild and probably team up with someone else who didn't threaten, bully, or call him a coward.

It was strange. For some reason, this idea gave her the oddest feeling of… relief.

Even as her eyes blurred with tears she could see a light appear through the window behind Bora.

 _Funny_ , she thought. _I always heard that showed up_ after _you kicked it._

Finally, she lost consciousness.

And that was when Natsu drove through the window.

* * *

 _(( Yep I'm leaving you guys with another cliff hanger._

 _Using Bora as the village headman had actually been one of my original ideas but I had abandoned it initially. However once the idea that the villagers were smugglers came to me and I was writing out the scene where Lucy confronts the headman it suddenly seemed very fitting._

 _I don't know if I'll continue to use villains from the series proper in this story. I might just use OC's for villains but since I'm making this up as I go along who knows._

 _What Natsu was doing in that basement I'll probably explain in the next chapter which I hope will wrap up this first story. Really hoping to continue writing this with several more adventures for our favorite_ edolas _duo. Will_ definiely _make use of the_ edolas _counterparts of Levy, Juvia, and Gray in the future. Don't have many concrete ideas but_ hopefully _I can keep writing._

 _As always share with me your_ edolas _headcanons and what you might hope to see in future stories. I'll pick the ones I like and try to work them in. Though I should warn that I_ wont _work them in right away._  
 _Please review with your opinion on this chapter and the story as a whole_

 _And of course feel free to point out any typos you find in my writing! ))_


	10. Story 1 Chapter 9

He wasn't quite sure what made him do it.

Natsu was a coward. This was a fact that he had never disputed. He had known he was a coward for years and years.

When he was small he would have argued about it. But now? Now he knew better.

Natsu thought he had handled the realization rather well. He hadn't fought it or tried to deny it. It was an undeniable fact. And as far as the facts stood it wasn't something he could change.

He'd run away one too many times. Begged for mercy from his enemies one time too often. And he had let the people important to him down every time they needed him.

Even on this job he had screwed up way too much.

First he failed to get Lucy up in time to see the rat outside the tavern. All because he was too scared to do something about it himself. Then he had failed to convince her of his suspicions because he was afraid she would hate him. He had even managed to screw up when his temporary partner had actually been counting on him. His clumsy hands had failed to pull her out of that god forsaken hole before she got hurt.

But Lucy's instructions had worried him. After telling him what he had to do she had told him to wait for her on the outskirts of the town until sunrise.

Until sunrise.

Lucy hadn't said she would _meet_ him at sunrise, she had told him to _wait_ until sunrise. Wait until sunrise and then what? Why had she said it like that?

It almost felt like Lucy wasn't sure if she was coming back.

And he hated that.

Especially when he once again began to feel those foreboding prickles on the back of his neck.

Natsu pulled up behind the house where he could see a dim light shining through one of the back windows. He turned off the engine and lights to avoid attracting attention. From his position, he couldn't see far into the room. Only the desk next to the window.

He sat there, his eyes transfixed on the house. A man he had never seen before appeared. The prickles on the back of his neck suddenly flared up the moment he appeared.

Every bit of his instincts screamed that the shadowy figure in the window was dangerous. They told him to forget Lucy and flee. She had said herself that she didn't need help. And it was clear to both of them that Natsu would only get in her way.

Still looking at the window his hands toyed with the ignition. Ready to start it up and take off into the night at the slightest hint of a danger.

And then he saw Lucy Ashley.

His blood froze in his veins. She was behind the man that he knew was dangerous. Held by a huge man he recognized as the tavern keeper.

Natsu couldn't tell what was going on. They were doing nothing but talking yet he somehow knew Lucy was in danger. The dangerous man leaned down towards her for a moment before abruptly turning back.. And then the tavern keeper wrapped his fingers around her throat.

They were killing her. Any imbecile could see that. But there was nothing he could do. Natsu couldn't fight them. He wasn't strong enough to take on two full grown men on his own.

He was a weakling. A coward. He had no chance of saving her. He would just die too.

But if he did nothing Lucy was going to die.

Natsu felt something in him break.

His body began to move on its own. Turning the ignition he felt the engine vibrate under the hood, he twisted the wheel and floored the gas. The four-wheeler, his beloved car, flew forward and crashed through the window.

* * *

Lucy's ears were ringing.

Everything around her was a blur but she didn't concern herself with that. The Much needed air was finally flowing into her lungs. Coughing and gasping, Lucy nursed the bruises forming on her neck. She didn't know or care what had happened to Bora or the tavern keeper. All that mattered was that she got that sweet air into her lungs.

As the ringing in her ears began to fade Lucy could just pick up on a voice calling her name.

"L..cy… Lucy… LUCY?!"

Her eyes opened slowly to see Natsu leaning over her and shaking her shoulders.

"Lucy! Are you okay?" his voice was shaky, afraid, and filled with concern.

She blinked at him confused. "Na..tsu?"

Reaching up, she brushed the side of his face with the tips of her fingers. Just to see if he was real. If he was really there.

"I-I don't…" her usually strong voice was shaky. "Wh-why?... Why're you… here?"

There was a sound of crunching glass on the other side of the room. Natsu looked over in that direction and Lucy could see the fear grow on his face.

"W-We have to go!" Natsu stood up and tried to pull her to her feet. "They're getting up."

Even as he pulled on her arms Lucy knew she wouldn't be able to stand on her own. She wasn't sure if it was shock or a delayed effect of all the blood loss from earlier. Maybe even both. Sitting up was all Lucy could manage.

Looking over, she could see the tavern keeper already getting Bora to his feet. The car plowing through the window had thrown them for a loop but they were already recovering. That stack of muscle that was the tavern keeper would be on them in a matter of seconds.

"Run.. away…" She told Natsu.

He blinked at her dumbly.

"I'm dead weight! RUN. AWAY."

Natsu's face seemed conflicted as though he was fighting some inner battle. He seemed to make some decision and opened his mouth, to say something.

But it was too late.

Natsu's arms were jerked away leaving Lucy to crash to the ground. Scattered glass dug into her bare skin but she ignored the small stings of pain as she stared up in horror. The tavern keeper pinned one of Natsu's arms behind his back. With a sudden movement, he cruelly twisted the other arm at a sickening angle.

Lucy heard a crack as Natsu screamed in agony.

The tavern keeper's face contorted in rage. "I'm going to break you one piece at a time," he hissed into the crying boys ear. Pulling on the arm, there was another crack. Lucy knew from experience what those sounds meant. She could only guess that the sadistic man had first broken and then dislocated Natsu's arm.

Then Bora appeared.

Blood streamed down his face from a cut on his forehead. A blackish blue mark on his nose showed it was broken. His eyes were no longer condescending or confident. Instead, they were blazing with some sick rage.

He grabbed a wad of Natsu's hair and pulled his head up so Lucy could see his agonized expression. "So," he hissed as he wiped some blood from his lip. "You didn't leave him to die after all."

The tavern keeper gave Natsu's arm another twist. Something in Natsu's hand clattered to the floor. Bora glared down at the magic sword he had dropped.

"Somebody's been digging around in your basement. Why don't you show him how that makes you feel?"

The big man roared in anger as he twisted Natsu's arm again causing his scream to reach a high pitch. "Now now," Bora hissed. "Don't let him die now! Don't forget he also drove that ugly car into my office!"

His grip on the hair tightened as his other fist balled and plowed itself into Natsu's stomach. The boy's breath was knocked out of his body as he began gasping for air between sobs. But Bora wasn't done. He hit him this time in the face busting open a lip and causing blood to dribble down Natsu's chin.

Lucy could feel something inside of her being torn apart every time Natsu screamed. Anger burned inside of her. Though her limbs felt like jelly she grasped Bora by the ankle and rasped out, "Let him go!"

Bora seemed unwilling to deal with her as he gave her a quick kick in the stomach. "Out of the way bitch." He returned his attention to Natsu. "We'll kill you in a minute."

The kick sent Lucy rolling over until she hit one of the wheels of the car. Wrapping her arms around her abdomen, she curled up in pain. The taste of blood filled her mouth.

Lucy forced her eyes open and struggled to push herself up. She bit her tongue causing more blood to flow into her mouth. Despite her tears, Lucy wasn't depressed or crushed. Something burned in her chest.

The silvery glint of the sword hilt attracted her eye. It was laying on the floor between her and Bora.

If she could just get to it.

Natsu's right arm was now hanging limp at his side and the two couldn't seem to agree on what to break next. The tavern keeper wanted to break his legs next. But the blue haired man seemed to like the idea of breaking his fingers and toes first then moving on to his arms and legs. He also had another suggestion.

"Just paralyze him! Then we can kill the girl in front of him."

It was strange how that scared him more than the idea of being paralyzed. He wasn't sure why. Of course, he wasn't sure why he was even there. It wasn't in his nature.

He was a coward by fate. Why had he charged in like he had? If he was going to save Lucy he should have had a plan of some kind.

But he hadn't had a plan. He had driven through that god forsaken window and made things worse. Not only had he failed to save Lucy, because of him they were both going to die horribly.

He managed to crack his eyes open to see Lucy using the car to push herself up to a standing position. Bora didn't seem to notice and he was clearly too busy enjoying Natsu's pain to catch him staring at her. Her eyes were transfixed on the sword lying on the floor. He could already tell what she likely had in mind.

The tavern keeper's hand moved to cover Natsu's mouth to quiet his screams. Apparently the two of them had made up their mind. He could already feel his other arm begin to twist painfully behind his back.

Despite the pain, Natsu glanced down at the sword lying on the floor. He began to kick his legs violently. Bora laughed at his struggles. His eyes remained focused on the sword as he kicked his legs around wildly.

Finally, by sheer chance, Natsu's toe caught on the hilt of the sword and flung it across the floor. It didn't go far, but it went far enough.

Lucy grabbed the hilt of the sword and lunged forward.

Natsu squeezed his eyes shut in fear.

Bora spun around but was too slow. The point of the blade dug itself into his shoulder. Lucy couldn't help but be filled with satisfaction as he screamed at the sight of his own blood. It was an almost disgusting irony seeing how much joy he had gotten from both her and Natsu's pain.

She pulled the blade to the side slashing through his flesh. Lucy had never held a sword before in her life. Whips and daggers were all she had ever used.

Yet even if she had never held a sword before in her life the attack was enough to take Bora down for good. As for the tavern keeper…

"You bitch!" he shoved Natsu to the side slamming him against the side of the car. He slid down the side of the car and crumpled to the floor.

Lucy stumbled to the side as the hulking man's fist barely missed her. She swung wildly at his leg successfully landing a hit. Roaring in pain he swung at her again, this time only missing because she happened to slip and fall to the floor.

For just a moment the tavern keeper's hands raised over his head ready to crush her with both of his massive hands. It was a small opening. But Lucy took it.

Pressing the switch on the hilt, Lucy swung the magic weapon as it was instantly engulfed in flames.

The weapon tore through the man's shirt leaving a gash on his chest and setting his clothing ablaze. With a scream, the tavern keeper began running around the room in a panic. Inadvertently setting the curtains and rugs in the room on fire as he did so.

Natsu was already pulling himself into the driver's seat of his car. Lucy scrambled into the passenger side. She had only just shut the door when Natsu shifted the car into reverse. Pulling away just as the fire climbed the walls. Shifting gears into drive the car took off down the road. Past the houses and the fields, and finally out of the village.

Looking back, Lucy could see the big manor house set ablaze on the hill. The silhouettes of the citizens scrambled out of their houses in a panic. They were all carrying bags and bags of lacrima. And despite everything, Lucy couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

At least somewhat.

* * *

 _((Likely my most violent chapter to date._

 _Are Bora and the tavern keeper dead? I have no clue. I think I'll leave it vague for now. Just in_ case _they rise again as zombies or something._

Anyway _this chapter was originally going to be a lot longer but_ in the end _I decided to split this chapter up with the next one. I know last time I said I'd finish up the story with this chapter but instead it'll likely wrap up next chapter._  
Oh _that_ doesnt _mean this fic is done. Not by a long shot._

 _I_ dont _have any concrete ideas for the next "story arc" of sorts._ Instead _I might try to write a small one shot chapter or something. In the_ meantime _you guys can keep sending me your headcanons and ideas!_

 _Now I got some requests for things you guys would like to see included in the future story. One is more awkward fluff between Natsu and Lucy. Which I will try to do. The only downside is that their relationship development is kind of slow so the most fluff your gonna get is going to be friendship fluff._ At least _until I finally start getting into the romance aspects._  
 _The next was to hear more about_ edo _!Natsu's past. Sadly while I have a few ideas here and there, I have no real story thought up yet. I might try to drop hints and maybe a bit of information here or_ there _though. But hang in there! I'll get to his past eventually!_  
Finally _one of my reviewers would love to see Natsu and Lucy face off against_ edolas _counterparts of Earthlands villains! Which is definitely doable._ However _there's a catch. I_ dont _have many ideas or theories about what kind of flopped personalities_ this guys _would have._

 _As a result, I'm going to let YOU guys decide who is going to be the next villain for the next major story in this fic! You just go to my page and do the poll there to pick between the three villains listed._ For now _I'm going with a few of the earlier villains. So if you want to have a say in which villain appears first in the series just vote in the poll and I'll be sure to do my best for you guys!_

 _As always please review with any input you may have on the story, share any headcanons you may have about Edolas in general, share anything you'd like to see in the story, or just point out any old typo you find!_

 _Thanks for reading!))_


	11. Story 1 Chapter 10

"OWOWOWOWOWOW!"

"Will you just shut up?!"

The sun had only just risen above the horizon. Bathing the forest in a dim light. Natsu sniffled in pain as Lucy held his limp and injured arm in both hands. "C-Can't you be more gentle L-Lucy-san?" he begged.

"Oh quit your blubbering!" she scowled. "Your arms been pulled out of its socket. Putting it back in is gonna hurt no matter how I do it."

This failed to give the pink haired boy any sort of comfort. Lucy gave herself a moment to calm down. "Look just…. just stare into the sunset and think of something nice."

"Like what?" he asked.

"I don't know! Cute bunnies, pretty flowers, the beach, whatever!" Natsu pressed his lips together and nodded. Lucy gripped his injured arm and shoved it back into the socket.

Natsu screamed so loud that it echoed through the forest. He was still crying a few minutes later as Lucy placed his broken arm into a sling. She couldn't believe that this was the same person that had driven his car into a house.

"There," she muttered as she finished tying the sling. "That'll have to do until we get back to the guild."

He sniffled as he finally began to calm down.

Lucy glanced at his face and looked away into the bushes. "H-How's your other arm?"

"I-It's okay," he whispered. "J-Just a little s-sore."

"Oh… alright."

Outside of a bit of yelling neither of them knew quite what to say after everything that had happened.

"I'll get some food and water," Lucy said standing up.

Natsu almost protested before the blonde shot a glare at him. "You're staying here."

The tone of her voice was different than usual. It was stern as always, but not threatening. He slowly nodded as Lucy turned and went into the brush. Sighing, Natsu tried to get comfortable as he leaned against his car.

He was thankful that neither of his legs had been broken. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to drive himself and Lucy home. Natsu cringed at the memory of Bora and the tavern keeper. He didn't doubt that they both would have done exactly what they said they would to him and to Lucy.

All he could do was be thankful that they had escaped with their lives. Actually, he was rather proud of himself for managing to drive the car with a broken dislocated arm. That'd be a story to tell back at the guild. Not even Jet and Droy could make fun of him for that.

Of course, then he realized he would have to explain how he broke his arm in the first place. A new wave of dread spread over him.

Mirajane's scolding was a thing of terror and legend. When they were kids Jet and Droy had destroyed one of Cana's favorite teapots. Despite how much she had bawled they had refused to apologize. Mira had tried to get them to say sorry over and over again. Finally she had grabbed both boys by the ear and dragged them into the back room. Five minutes later, not only did they apologize, they provided Cana with a brand new tea set free of charge.

The same thing happened to Levy when one of her contraptions blew up half the guild. And when Gray had burst in on Juvia as she took a bath.

Natsu had always been careful to stay on Mira's good side and avoided causing too much trouble. And now he had gone and done something crazy. Mirajane would no doubt react negatively to the news that Natsu had crashed his car through a window. Nearly getting himself killed, and then somehow managing to burn down a mansion. All in a single night.

He couldn't believe himself that he had actually done all that stuff. The memories of the whole event were still fresh in his mind. Already he was questioning whether it had all be real.

Natsu yawned tiredly and rubbed his eyes with his sore arm. His whole body felt heavy. He tried to think of the last time he slept.

His head got fuzzy when he realized that he hadn't slept since that night in the tavern. And that had been a night plagued by nightmares of red eyes and gnashing teeth. The sleep deprivation was only now hitting him.

Stumbling around in a tired stupor Natsu crawled into his car and laid down on the backseat. The familiar feel and scent of his car soothed him immediately. Sighing, Natsu curled up and let himself drift off to sleep, dreaming about the guild and the open road.

Lucy ripped a root out of the ground and sniffed it. Nibbling on it experimentally she shrugged and added it to the pile of food in her arms. It was watery and plain but it would fill their stomachs and as far as she could tell it probably wasn't poisoned. Maybe.

So far she had found a treasure trove of roots, berries, nuts, and edible grasses. No meat, though. Lucy doubted she had the tools or energy to fish in the stream and digging around for insects would take too long.

Trudging back to the car Lucy deposited her finds on the pile of food. Pulling the heavy canteens off of her shoulders she dropped them onto the ground as well. Wincing she gripped her shoulder and hissed in pain.

The wounds the rats had inflicted on her had yet to heal. Her bandages were now bloody and covered in dirt. Grimacing at the grime, Lucy pulled the trunk open and dug through all the junk until she found the first aid kit.

She removed the dirty bandages and replaced them with clean ones, tying them tight with her teeth. Both her thigh and shoulder were still in pain and the bruises on her throat made it painful to turn her neck. Peering into the back seat at the sleeping Natsu Lucy couldn't help but smile.

Crawling into the back, she sat there and watched him sleep. Sitting up, she looked around her to make sure no random bystander was creeping up on them. Satisfied that they were alone, she returned her attention to Natsu.

This would be a one-time thing. At least, that's what she told herself as she pushed his hair out of the way and leaned in. Squeezing her eyes shut she gave him a quick peck on the forehead before pulling away quickly.

It had not been a kiss. A kiss involved a lot of touching and feeling. Her lips had barely made contact with the skin. It was more akin to wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. Except that, it had been Natsu's face. Yeah.

No matter how many times she ran that through her mind she could still feel her face grow hot as her lower lip tingled. Wiping it away furiously she glared at the sleeping boy.

"That's the closest thing to a 'thank you' you're ever gonna get from me. So don't get used to it," she muttered before she slammed the door. Grabbing a handful of nuts she began gorging on food in an attempt to drown the feeling growing in her chest.

* * *

After sleeping for what seemed like forever, Natsu finally woke up. Once he had the food and water Lucy had found he was ready to hit the road again. Lucy inexplicable silence grated on him somewhat but he assumed she was just tired.

They were both silent for the entire drive back to the guild. But it was different from their first drive. It felt more… friendly? At least, that was how Natsu felt.

Lucy wasn't steaming in her seat, and Natsu could lean back in his car without a care in the world. The trip was actually enjoyable even if it was spent in complete silence. They both just seemed to enjoy the feel of the road underneath them.

Natsu and Lucy would look back on the trip and decide that it was… passable. Sure there was the man-eating rats, murderous smugglers, and one or two near-death experiences. But it hadn't completely sucked.

When the newbie and crybaby finally got back to the guild they limped over the threshold and met with stares. Every member present turned their head towards the returning youngsters. At first, things were normal.

Until someone noticed Natsu's sling and another pointed out the blood on Lucy's bandages. The twosome became the center of attention immediately. Every guild member present converged on their location. Fighting to have their questions heard.

"What the hell happened to you two?!"

"Jesus Natsu did you finally crash that car?!"

"Lucy are you bleeding?! You need to see a doctor!"

The blonde was completely overwhelmed. Lucy felt herself being torn from Natsu's side as she was hurried away into another room. Bisca and Cana were waiting for her.

Unlike the guys outside they didn't load her with a bunch of unnecessary questions. Instead, they took a look at her injuries, ran her a bath, handed her a towel, and shoved her into the bathroom. Locking the door behind them to 'save her feminine dignity' as Cana put it. Lucy stood frozen to the spot wearing nothing but a towel.

The washroom was rather plain and contained the simplest of luxuries. There was a mirror with a washstand, a shower, and a small steaming square tub. Lucy glanced at the door unsure of what to make of what had just taken place.

She couldn't recall a time before now she had ever been welcomed back in such a way. In fact, it was the first time in a long time she had been welcomed back at all. There had been many organizations and gangs Lucy had joined over the past few years. They were professional to varying degrees, usual involved at least a little violence, and all of them were illegal.

They were also rather cold. Everyone had drinking buddies. Members of the gang they would frequently work with. And Lucy was sure more than a few of them were doing it in the back.

But none of it was personal.

She knew everyone was playing a part. Each person had something to gain from another. So they played the role of friend, or comrade, or lover until they got what they wanted. After that, they would cut off all contact until they needed something again. From Lucy's experience, that was just how people worked.

She had gotten hurt while doing jobs in the past. Injuries that had been far worse than the ones she had now. But the most her so called comrades had done was to shrug. Maybe ask about the job. Then point her into the direction of the local backstreet doctor (for a small donation of course).

But at Fairy Tail, the reception was so over the top that Lucy wasn't sure what to think of it. Her countless memories of being used and then tossed aside told her to be suspicious. But for the life of her, she couldn't see how swarming her with attention could possibly benefit any of them.

Lucy shivered as she remembered she was technically in her birthday suit. Then decided she could continue to deliberate the true state of things in the warmth of the bathtub. She climbed in and got settled while letting the warm water relax her stiff muscles.

Sighing the blonde let herself slip deeper into the water. Until only her nostrils were above the surface. It felt like heaven.

Lucy couldn't say how long she had soaked in the bath. It was long enough for the warm water to soothe her wounds and wash the dirt away. When at last she emerged from the now lukewarm water her fingers and toes were all wrinkled.

Wrapping a towel around her curvaceous body, Lucy slipped out of the bathroom. She decided to go see what the others were up to. But the second she stepped into the guild hall Cana screamed. With a speed that Lucy hadn't been aware she was capable of. The lady rushed the offending blonde back into the back.

"What do you think you are doing?" she whispered with a blush on her face.

Lucy blinked. "Uhm. Seeing the others?"

"But there are men out there!"

"Your point?"

Cana looked at her with a face filled with horror. "Don't you want to get married someday?"

It was Lucy's turn to blush and blustered out, "Th-That's none of your business!"

The lady shook her head and pushed Lucy into a room. She began digging through a dresser filled to the brim with clothing. Cana then spent the next half hour holding clothes up only for Lucy to shoot them down. Finally, Lucy caved and agreed to wear a black tank top but shot down the idea of wearing a skirt. Instead, she dug through the clothing herself until she managed to find a passable pair of dark brown shorts.

Cana disapproved of the entire outfit. Which told Lucy it was perfect. She was not free to wander at her leisure however as Mirajane soon appeared.

Much to Lucy's surprise, the silver-haired barmaid was not smiling as she usually did. Instead, her brow was creased with worry as she rushed up to the blonde. "Oh, Lucy what happened?"

Mira rushed her to a chair and urged Cana to get the medical kit. As the other girl rushed out the barmaid got straight to business and stared at Lucy until she answered.

Lucy avoided Mirajane's gaze and tried to find the right words, "Things… got out of hand."

"Lucy Ashley," Mira reprimanded in a tone that reminded Lucy of her mother. "Natsu's arm is broken in two separate places and from what I can see you look like you've been mauled by a tiger! I want to know exactly what happened."

Sighing, Lucy began telling Mira the whole story. Cana came in while she was explaining, but Mirajane only took the med kit and sent the other girl away. As she continued on with the story Mira dressed her wounds with far better care than Lucy had gotten from Natsu.

When she got to the part where Natsu drove through the window Mirajane almost exploded. "He did what?!"

Lucy nearly fell out of her chair. Never before had she heard the woman sound so angry. "Y-Yeah… h-he was trying to-"

"I know what he was trying to do! He was getting himself killed, that's what he was trying to do!"

"I-I don't know if that's fai-"

"OH, HE IS SO GETTING A SCOLDING!" Mira slammed the medkit shut with such force Lucy was sure she heard the latch crack.

Unwilling to further enrage Mirajane Lucy remained silent. Deciding that she would let Natsu take a fall this one time.

The barmaids personality reverted back as she turned towards Lucy with a smile. "I'm happy you made it back safe. I've already made some stew for you. Just head out to the bar and enjoy. I'll be right out after I have a word with Natsu."

Mira then flounced out of the room leaving the blonde alone once more. A little shaken by what she had just seen, Lucy wandered over to the bar and collapsed into a stool. A fewpeople attempted to get her story but a well-placed glare scared most of them off.

Lucy took the stew Mira had left for her and began to stuff her face. As far as she was concerned she had shared enough of her story. Mirajane was likely off getting the rest out of Natsu. By the end of the night, the barmaid would likely have told everyone in the guild what had happened. Saving Lucy a lot of effort.

The stew tasted fantastic. She hadn't realized just how little all those nuts and berries had filled her up. Once Lucy had finished one bowl, she leaned over the counter and got second and then a third helping. Never before had she appreciated Mira's cooking as much as she did now.

Eventually, Mira appeared once more behind the counter with a huge smile on her face.

"Want to make a toast?" she asked.

The question and the tone put Lucy instantly on her guard. "To what?"

"Ohhh you know silly!" Mira waved off her question with her hand before getting down two mugs and some alcohol.

Lucy knew she should be suspicious, but after everything she had just gone through a free mug of ale sounded very tempting.

Taking the mug Mira had offered her, they clicked the two together and took a drink.

"Ahh," Lucy breathed after taking a particularly long drink. "That felt great."

"Especially since you have so much to celebrate!"

"Oh yeah. I might not have been paid but we made off with a pretty little stash of lacrima that should last us quite awhile," she gave a smug smile. "I'd love to see that blue haired bimbo's face when she finds out."

"No no, not that! I mean the other thing you have to celebrate! Y'know, about getting home?"

"Well I'm happy to be alive after all that, but I don't think it's worth a celebration." Lucy mused.

Mirajane stared at her.

"But Lucy," she began. "Levy and her team aren't here yet."

"Yeah, so?" Lucy asked as she began taking another long drink of ale.

"So? Don't you remember our little deal? Concerning Natsu?"

Lucy stopped and momentarily questioned what the silver-haired woman had meant. Then it all came rushing back to her.

The bet! If she and Natsu returned before Levy and her team Lucy had agreed to…

Agreed to…

Gagging Lucy spit out her ale to the side in a spray.

All over Natsu.

He stood there in a change of clothes, wet hair, and his arm in a cast. And now covered in regurgitated Ale. "A-ah, wh-why did you do that?" he sobbed. "I just got out of the bath. Now I'm going to have to take another one…"

Lucy stared at the skinny, teary eyed, sorry excuse of a man standing before her. Despite everything, Natsu had gotten them home before Levy and her team. Which meant Mira had won the bet.

So now she and Natsu were official partners.

Lucy felt a lot of things in that moment.

She had come to like Natsu. No, not so much like as tolerate. Lucy had decided that he was useful in his own way, and had many good points.

But she still didn't think he was a good partner. He was still too scared for his own good. His attitude while in his car was annoying. And he was lackluster in a fight at best.

And she was now stuck with him.

Slamming her head down onto the counter the delinquent felt only one word truly expressed how she felt.

"Shit."

* * *

 _(( AND THE FIRST STORY IS DONE!_

 _I don't think Lucy would come around to Natsu after just one adventure. She certainly doesn't hate him anymore, but I don't think she quite sees him as partner material._  
 _But don't worry, I'm sure she'll come around. Y'know eventually._

Anyway _this is the second half of the last chapter I published. I'm happy I was able to finish up this story. Next I'm going to try and work on a_ oneshot _though I'm not sure what it'll be about. I'm between making it about a special confrontation between Levy and Lucy, or Lucy training Natsu in hand to hand combat. If you guys have a preference speak up!_

 _As mentioned in author comments in the last chapter I have a poll up on my profile page where YOU the reader can vote for who you would like to see as the villain in the next part of this story. It's blind poll so that the result won't be spoiled for you guys. I think I will give the poll about a week before I take it down._  
 _And_ of course _if you have any ideas for_ edolas _counterpart villains,_ edolas _headcanons, or ideas for what you would like to see in the story feel free to mention them in a review!_

 _I am now also happy to say that I will take ideas for what kind of one-shots you guys would like to see_ inbetween _the major parts of the story._ For now _I will NOT be taking AU suggestions for_ oneshots _though I may in the future._

 _As always thank you for reading! Hope to hear from you again after the next update!))_


	12. Story 2 Chapter 1

Since joining the Fairy Tail guild, Lucy Ashley had learned that the guild had a few unspoken rules.

One was to never deliberately piss off Mirajane. And after the small glimpse she had gotten of what the barmaid looked like when she was angry, Lucy could see why.

Another was to never reach for the last bit of food and booze at the same time. You could do one or the other but doing both made you a dick.

But the one she had noticed the most had to do with the guild's daily bar brawls. It seemed that every day somebody found some petty reason to pick a fight with somebody else. The fights were never serious and usually ended with little injury.

It was one of the things Lucy enjoyed the most about the guild. The brawls always kept her on her toes and helped her sharpen her skills in combat. And she almost never had to worry about fighting someone weaker than her. Most of the non-combative members of the guild always managed to slip away and take shelter.

But every now and then, Lucy would notice two members leave the guild alone. And unlike the daily brawls or sparring matches, no one would follow to spectate. When they left they would be in top shape and glaring at each other. Upon their return, they would be bloodied, bruised, and in much better spirits.

After watching this happen many times, Lucy picked up on what she assumed to be another unspoken rule. If you had a personal gripe and wanted to go all out against each other, you left the rest of the guild out of it. Personal friends could come along to spectate and help settle the issue. But most just left it alone.

The fights were always one on one. No using superior numbers, no cheap shots, and no dirty tricks before the fight began. And of course, you had to avoid seriously injuring your opponent as much as possible.

It was a simple straightforward way to keep peace in the guild. This had been the case for years from the stories Mira had told Lucy. And it had been effective.

Most guild members were on good or neutral terms. Grudges were rare to non-existent. The few members who couldn't get along just avoided one another.

Still, Lucy Ashley wasn't interested in getting involved in what little drama there was. And thanks to her loner reputation, it had been an easy thing to avoid. What was harder to avoid were the rivalries.

Oh god, the rivalries.

Even members of the guild who weren't outright competitive had friendly rivalries. They would fight about who made the most money, who had taken down the biggest monster, and, of course, who was the strongest.

Whether it was individuals or teams, half the guild wanted to know who was the strongest. And of course, the only way to find out was through more brawling.

Lucy was in the middle of figuring out the guilds pecking order. Just to know her own place in it. With no master (he had been killed by the royal army before Lucy had arrived) the guild had no clear leadership. As a result figuring out a social hierarchy proved rather difficult.

Usually, when she moved into a new group Lucy would try and establish who the leader was. From there she would determine who were the decision makers and who were the grunts. And where she fell between the two.

However with no master Fairy Tail also had no clear leader. So she had to start from a different angle. From what she could tell three things determined a person's standing in the guild. Strength, responsibility, and experience.

The strongest mages in the guild had good standing. They took on the most dangerous jobs, frequently made the most money, and were generally more imposing. But there were many strong mages in the guild who were never invited to help make major decisions.

That's where responsibility came in. The more active a member was in the inner workings of the guild the more standing they seemed to have. Successfully completing a well-paying job was one thing. But taking on a low paying job as an official representative of the guild was another.

Fairy Tail worked with many black market dealers. They would often commission the guild to run their stock between locations for them. The job had high risks, low pay, and wasn't at all glamorous. But in exchange for their co-operation, the guild would get a discount on the dealers lacrima.

Members who were willing to do this had a lot of leverage in dealings. And Lucy was surprised to learn that resident crybaby Natsu Dragion was a popular candidate for the job. Before knowing this, she had assumed he was at the bottom of the pecking order in the guild.

She was even more surprised when she realized that he was actually one of the most prominent members. Largely thanks to the last thing that propped up members; experience.

Some members of the guild had been there a lot longer than the others. And that extra bit of experience skyrocketed some members to higher prominence. From what she understood, there remained only a few members from the time when Fairy Tail was a legal guild.

Macao, Wakaba, and Reedus were senior members who had been in the guild since they were all young men. Out of everyone they had been there the longest. As a result, they were often consulted for advice.

Beyond those three there were members who had been in the guild since they were children. Which was something Lucy had never even known was possible. Natsu, Cana, Levy, Mira and her siblings had all joined the guild when little.

As she reviewed the only member of the guild who seemed to fill in all three criteria was... Levy.

Lucy groaned at the idea of the blue haired mechanic as head honcho of the guild. Levy was a powerful fighter, helped out the guild as a mechanic, and had joined the guild five years prior at the age of twelve. And just three years ago she formed what was currently recognized as the guild's strongest team, Shadow Gear.

The only comfort she could find was that the guild and Levy herself didn't seem to recognize her as the leader. The one person who even came close to that kind of respect was actually Mirajane. But once again, neither the barmaid or anyone else seemed to recognize her as being in charge.

It was a frustrating problem. Without being able to identify a clear leader, Lucy couldn't figure out where she herself stood in the guild. Carefully she reviewed her own criteria.

She was just as strong as Levy. But she neither had any large responsibilities nor had she been a member for very long. Yet Lucy was hesitant to place herself among the assorted members of the guild.

Mira had seemed to have taken an interest in her. Even when there were other members of the guild at the bar, she always made an effort to speak to Lucy. Then there was her relationship with Natsu.

If her theory about him being in the guild's inner circle proved to be true, then she was in good standing by association. That would place her in the same social position as Jet and Droy. Both were strong, but neither had been in the guild as long as Levy nor did they participate as much as she did.

Still Lucy loathed the idea of being stuck in the same position as those two bozos. As well as only having leverage due to her unwilling partnership to Natsu. She would have to begin climbing the social ladder if she had any hope of standing on her own.

It had been two weeks since she had first joined the guild. And just over one since she went on her first job with Natsu as her partner. Her wounds were healing fast largely because of the guilds stash of medical lacrima.

Magic healing lacrima were difficult to make, hard to find, had limited uses, and couldn't be recharged. They sped up the bodies natural healing processes but couldn't heal a wound right away. And they went for a fortune on the black market.

And it got even more complicated. There were different types of medical lacrima for different types of injuries. Burn lacrima, abrasion lacrima, rash lacrima, etc. And if the lacrima wasn't made correctly it was completely useless.

Thankfully Fairy Tail seemed to be able to tell the bad from the good. Their stash was well organized and ready for any emergency situation. Lucy had to give them credit. They knew how to be prepared.

Unfortunately, Natsu's arm was still broken. None of the guilds healing lacrima were capable of mending broken bones. So the pink haired fireball was stuck with a cast for at least another five weeks.

This frustrated Lucy to no end. Mirajane had already spread the word. New girl Lucy Ashley and resident car enthusiast Natsu Dragion were officially partners. As far as the barmaid cared she had won their little wager. And Mira expected Lucy to keep her end of the deal.

Lucy didn't like it but there wasn't much she could do. She had given her word after all. And her word was one thing the blonde had never broken. So the delinquent was stuck hanging around the guild until Natsu got his cast off.

On the bright side, this gave Lucy the chance to wriggle her way into everyone's favor. Since she was stuck at the guild she had taken to helping out with some of the minor work. Mainly by helping Mira's little brother Elfman fix things up around the guild.

Elfman was an interesting character. He was tall, burly, and muscular but as mousey as you could make them. Not as shy or cowardly as Natsu, but he had just as much fighting ability. Lucy had picked up from Jet and Droy that he often failed missions.

But he was a fantastic carpenter.

Everything the guild members broke in their daily fights was fixed up by Elfman. He could patch the guilds floors in a timely manner and construct a full set of table and chairs in a matter of days. There was also a poetic side to him that Lucy couldn't help but admire. He was still a wimp, but at least he was a wimp with some constructive talents.

Mira had invited Lucy to assist her and her little sister Lisanna service the guilds bar. Something Lucy had felt compelled to refuse. More than a few of the male members of the guild were the flirtatious type and she didn't want to encourage them.

Macao and Wakaba would usually admonish anyone who leered at the girls too much. But while that discouraged most members, others were still willing to try. More so towards Mirajane than her sister. Mira had made it clear that her sister was off limits to anyone who wasn't a potential future husband.

Lisanna herself was a rather quiet unassuming girl. Lucy hadn't even noticed her at first. Even though she was now aware of her role in the guild she still somehow managed to fade into the background. Despite this, she seemed to be well liked in the guild. Overall Lucy found her likable.

The work was difficult but proved to be rewarding. So long as she was working around the guild Mira was more than willing to let Lucy eat for free. Over time, she came to know the silver-haired siblings rather well.

She also came to understand a few of her guildmates a little better. Outside of a couple of members who left on a long term job before her arrival, she came to know each member of the guild. Even Jet and Droy got used to her presence.

Levy however still seemed to stew every time she entered the room. Lucy figured that it had to be because the two hadn't fought since she had been injured. Mira had forbidden her from taking part in fights until she was fully healed. In the end, Lucy resolved to give her rival an excellent thrashing once she was in top condition.

* * *

After another, half week of treatment Lucy's wounds had finally healed. She wished she could say the same about Natsu. Everyone had kept watch over him to make sure he didn't try to sneak off and drive his car.

They had stopped him five times during the day, three at night, and once in the morning when they had to physically remove him from the car. Natsu was now suffering from what Lucy could only describe as withdrawal. He'd been lethargic, moody, and depressed for the past two weeks.

She actually felt rather sorry for him. He just looked so pathetic slumped over the bar counter like a sack of potatoes. She patted his back hoping to give him some semblance of comfort.

"All healed up Lucy?"

Looking up Lucy saw Mirajane standing just beyond the counter.

Smiling she showed off her freshly healed arm by flexing it. "Good as new."

"That's great! Now if only we had some bone mending lacrima Natsu could get healed up much more quickly." Mirajane leaned over the counter to inspect the pink haired boy. "It's just so sad seeing him so depressed."

"Please stop talking about me like I'm not here." Natsu groaned with his face buried in his arms.

"Aint there any place that sells the stuff?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Well, it's difficult for dealers to get ahold of. And it's a high demand product so even when one does come up on the market it's usually pretty expensive." Mirajane sighed. "Nowadays it's almost impossible to get ahold of potent healing lacrima. Since the demand is so high the markets been flooded with counterfeits. So even if we do hear about one going on sale there's no guarantee it'll even be real."

It was a depressing thing to hear. With the king hoarding all the lacrima in the royal city there was no way for most common folk to get a hold of what they needed. More than a few requests on the job board were desperate people needing certain types of lacrima.

It was a terrible time to be alive.

Lucy pushed the thoughts out of her mind. No, she couldn't let herself dwell on any of it. What was important now was her own survival. As long as she had that everything else could fall to pieces.

"I get all that." Natsu sighed. "But why can't I drive my car? I drove all the way home with my arm broken."

Mira gave him a disapproving look. "That was different. You two had no way of contacting the guild right away and Lucy didn't know how to drive the four-wheeler. If we let you take off now you'd get yourself into a drag race or something. With only one arm you'd have much less control and could crash. It's bad enough you have a broken arm. We don't want you breaking anything else with your reckless driving." She wagged her finger at him in a chiding fashion. "When you're all healed up you can drive as much as you like. Are we clear?"

Natsu lifted his head a little and gave a small nod. "Yes Mira."

Lucy couldn't help but crack a smile. It was almost cute how obedient Natsu was towards Mira. He acted just like a small child being scolded by their mother.

Looking back on it, it was almost comical the way Natsu kept trying to have his way. She couldn't help but laugh when she remembered how she had woken up in the middle of the night. Only to find Reedus, Max, and Warren trying to drag Natsu out of his car. His one good arm clung to the steering wheel for dear life while the rest of him was in the arms of the three men as they pulled.

Glancing around the guild the blonde felt herself fill with disappointment. The blue haired short stack was nowhere to be seen. And Lucy had so been looking forward to decking her a new one.

"Levy's been looking for you too." Mira's said catching Lucy's attention.

Frowning Lucy blushed and replied. "I'm not looking for her."

"Lucy," Mira bit her lower lip and looked rather concerned. "have you and Levy been… fighting?"

It was such a strange question that she was caught off guard for a moment. "What do you mean? We fight all the time."

"Not like that." the look on Mirajane's face became even more concerned. "I've noticed her looking at you and not in the usual way. And she hasn't once picked a fight with you since you got back."

Lucy had noticed that as well. But she had assumed it had been because she was injured.

Mira seemed to read her mind. "Levy will avoid physical fights with injured people for the most part. But if she can't fight she'll usually find some other way to compete. Eating contests, races, work. Anything will do whenever she gets in the mood."

Moving in close to Lucy she whispered. "I know it's rude of me to pry but did you say anything out of the ordinary to her? Maybe an insult? Something like that?"

"NO!" Lucy nearly yelled. Instantly she lowered her voice. "No. She hasn't even spoken to me."

"Oh... oh that's not good," Mirajane muttered frantically. "If Levy's mad at you. I mean really really mad. She'll just cut off any communication! Are you sure you can't think of anything?"

"I already said I don't know!" This was starting to piss Lucy off. If the blue haired bitch had a problem with her she should just say something and get it over with.

Even so Lucy ran over what had happened before she had left on her little excursion with Natsu. They had fought, yeah, but it had been pretty normal.

Levy had provoked her. A few sub-par insults had been thrown around. Then they brawled. In their fight, Lucy had managed to land a good punch in the face, but Levy had gotten in more than few to her gut.

Nothing about the fight had stood out much to Lucy at all. It was the same as all the ones the two had gotten into since she had joined Fairy Tail. She supposed it could have been something that had happened after her return.

Perhaps Levy was just pissed that Lucy had gotten to stick around the guild all day instead of working? Maybe she felt her position in the guild as one of the best fighters was being threatened by Lucy's arrival? Maybe, just maybe, she had a crush on Natsu and was jealous that Lucy had gone out on a job with him?

The last one seemed unlikely, but anything was possible.

Still Lucy wasn't one to leave issues like this hanging. She didn't want to deal with whatever personal issue Levy had. But she knew she had to. Her life at the guild couldn't be spent in peace if that blue haired bimbo made things difficult.

Standing up, she looked Mira in the eye and asked, "Where can I find her?"

"Somewhere outside. Are you gonna go look for her?"

"Well, I'm definitely not going to sit on my hands wondering what she's been stewing over. If she has some personal issue with me I'd rather resolve it now."

"Please don't" a pitiable voice whispered.

Lucy looked down to see Natsu staring up at her with a worried look on his face.

"I-I know you're just as strong as Levy b-but I'd rather you guys didn't fight like this..." he averted his eyes from her face having lost whatever nerve he had worked up. "I don't like it when my friends fights get personal."

Lucy scoffed. "Hey, she's the one with the problem. If you hate the idea of us fighting so much you should go talk to her yourself."

Natsu visibly shrunk from the idea. "I-I couldn't do that!"

"Then don't complain about us fighting. If you aren't willing to get involved yourself then you have no right telling me not to settle this my way." With that, Lucy turned and went out the guilds front doors.

Looking down with an ashamed expression on his face Natsu muttered. "It's not that I'm not willing... I just... can't..."

Mira placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as she looked on towards the doors.

* * *

 _((Heheh soooo you guys remember when I said I was gonna do a oneshot? Yyyyeah that's not gonna happen._

 _I mean this was supposed to be a oneshot about Edo!Lucy and Levy but then it kinda took on a life of it's own. First I started getting a bit too into the world building. I kinda wondered how Fairy Tail would work as an illegal guild without a master and how Lucy would approach it._

 _By the timeline of this story Lucy's been a member of the guild for only a month or so. She's only just now getting to know all the members because before she was constantly going out on solo jobs one after another. But since she has to stick around the guild everyday due to her injuries she's forced to interact with everyone else and get to know them._  
 _I'm really trying to show how different her mindset is at this time from what we see in the series. At the moment Lucy still see's Fairy Tail as just a place she happens to work and stay at, and not as a home. In the future that'll change as she does._

 _Now the reason I wanted to give Levy and Lucy their own interaction chapter is because I feel Levy doesn't get enough attention. And I mean by her own merit. I wanted to take this opportunity to define what I think Edo!Levy would be like, her relationship to Lucy Ashley, Natsu Dragion, as well as the rest of the guild. So hopefully you'll see more of that in future chapters._

 _You also may have noticed while reading this fic that Gray and Juvia are, well, not around. Thats because I was honeslty not sure what to do with them at first. I really want to do a story arc where Lucy has to meet the two for the first time and are surprised by their little quirks (well mainly Edo!Gray's quirks but ya get my drift). I had initially planned for the second story arc to be about that but now I might just make it a part of this one somehow._

 _Lets see what else what else..._

 _AH!_

 _Lucy and Natsu's relationship hasn't improved very much at all. At least that's what I'm trying to portray. Lucy doesn't hate Natsu anymore and even seems to find him endearing but they aren't really friends yet. She's still rather insensitive and harsh towards him, and doesn't really understand him very well. Of course it's still an improvement on her opinion of him in the first part of the story but I digress._

 _Anyway as always I publish as I go along so no telling when the next update will be._  
 _The poll I posted on my profile hasn't seen much use so I'll likely be taking it down soon. I probably didn't put up any good options huh? LOL_  
 _As always please review with your opinion on this newest chapter and the story as a whole! Feel free to share your ideas and headcanons, and don't be afraid to point out any and all typos!_

 _Thanks for reading, see you next time!))_


	13. Story 2 Chapter 2

After hiking in the area around the guild for about an hour, Lucy finally managed to find Levy.

She sat on the root of a tree staring out over a river. Lucy came up behind her and stood there waiting for the other girl to notice.

Without turning her head, Levy asked, "Are you finally ready to have a real fight blondie?"

Narrowing her eyes the delinquent glared at the back of Levy's head. "I have no idea what brought this on but if it's a fight you're looking for," Lucy cracked her knuckles. "I think I can delivery."

Stiffly the small mechanic stood up and faced Lucy giving her a scowl. "That's all you have to say?"

"What? Were you expecting something more clever?" the blonde asked mockingly.

Levy didn't seem amused. "If you can't tell why I'm pissed off, then you deserve every bruise I'm about to give you."

"Oh like, you can even-"

Levy didn't let her finish. She moved in, pulled Lucy's arm over her shoulder, and flipped the blonde flat on her back.

The sudden attack temporarily overwhelmed Lucy's senses as she lay there in a daze. She managed to regain herself just in time to avoid being stomped in the gut. Getting back on her feet she immediately went on the offensive. Levy could explain why she was so pissed off after she beat her face into the mud.

Lucy attempted to get Levy into a chokehold but her opponent managed to slip out of her grasp. She then wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and wrestled her to the ground. The two devolved into a mess of kicking, punching, and even biting.

From afar Jet and Droy hid behind a tree keeping watch over the fight. Levy had told them that she had wanted to go out alone, but neither of the men was keen on the idea. For one Lucy was stronger than she looked, and for another, they were scared the fight would get out of hand.

Ever since Lucy had returned Levy had been behaving strangely. She'd been silent and unsocial. They'd taken a few jobs but even then she seemed to be anticipating something. It was only when Jet noticed her glaring at Lucy from across the room did the two start to get an idea of what was in her head.

Levy had taken an instant dislike to Lucy the moment she walked into the guild. But over time, and after a few brawls, that dislike had turned into a grudging respect. And yet in a single day, her entire opinion of the blonde seemed to have plummeted.

Jet and Droy were left asking, why?

Levy could be competitive, but she had never taken it this seriously. From her perspective, Lucy Ashley must have done something wrong. But what it could be was a mystery.

"Man they are getting vicious." Droy gaped as he saw Levy pull on a wad of Lucy's hair.

"It's getting kind of hard to watch. I'm just thankful Levy, at least, had the sense not to try and use her weapon." Jet sighed.

Both men flinched as Lucy delivered a hard right to Levy's face. The blue haired spitfire stumbled backward nursing her nose. And then retaliated with a punch of her own.

The two traded blows back and forth like that for over an hour. In the end, both girls stood across from one another out of breath and covered in cuts and bruises.

Levy had a bruise on her forehead, and a small cut just under her left eye. Her nose remained unbroken but it was beginning to develop a bruise of its own.

Lucy meanwhile had a black eye and a busted lip that dribbled blood down her chin. Carelessly, the blonde wiped the blood away with the back of her hand and spat to the side.

The two stared each other down as they caught their breath. And just when Jet and Droy thought the fight might be over, both women went in for another round. Sighing, they both tried to get comfortable as it seemed they would be there for awhile.

* * *

Natsu wandered around outside the guild wishing he could be in his car. His legs hurt, and it was difficult navigating around the tangled roots on the forest floor with one arm. He allowed himself to lean against a tree trunk to catch his breath.

This was all so stupid. He didn't even know what he was doing anymore.

An hour earlier, Natsu had sat in the guild hall nervously glancing at the door every few seconds. He prayed that Levy had only wanted to talk to Lucy and that Mira had just misread the whole thing. But after half an hour of waiting, he realized that he was being too optimistic.

Sighing, he told Mira that he would be going to his room and took off up the stairs. He could feel the barmaids eyes trail after him with every step he took making him feel nervous. Hurrying to his room, he closed the door and locked it. Letting out a relieved sigh he slid down the door and took a seat on the floor.

Natsu shared the small cramped room with his fellow male guildmates Gray and Elfman as well as Jet and Droy. They had begun this little arrangement just a few years ago when the guild went dark. It had become too dangerous for any of the members to live on their own. So they all moved into the guilds cramped quarters together.

It had been a lot of hard work, but the guild had pulled together and gave the guild a drastic overhaul. The inside was completely revamped. Many old storage rooms became several small dorm rooms, and basic amenities were installed.

Levy and Elfman deserved most of the credit for how quickly it had all been done. Elfman's carpentry skills and design sense had made everything manageable. If a little cramped. While Levy's technological know-how had made installing water and heating a breeze.

Under their direction, they had managed to turn the guild into even more of a home than it had initially been. Though a few members still griped about the lack of privacy.

For the most part, the guild split between one side for boys and another for girls. Each side had its own bedrooms, toilet, and showers. And in the morning, the whole guild would just eat in the hall.

After waiting for a few minutes to make sure no one was following him Natsu opened the window and climbed out.

Sneaking out the window was hard enough on an average day, but with a broken arm, it was almost impossible. Natsu managed to get most of the way down without incident but slipped on the last branch and fell to the ground.

Natsu groaned in pain as he hoped no one had noticed him fall. But as a mug of ale came crashing through the window he realized he had nothing to worry about. So long as a fight was going on no one would notice that he had snuck off.

He considered taking his car to go look for Lucy and Levy. Unfortunately, the entire guild would hear his four-wheeler revving. The moment he started it would pull him out and lock him up in the infirmary. That was the last thing he wanted.

And so Natsu had taken off into the forest to find his blonde partner. With neither a plan or even a concrete idea on their location.

Looking back on it he really had underestimated the whole ordeal.

He had assumed that the two women would be fighting somewhere nearby. But that didn't appear to be the case. In all the time he'd been stumbling around, he hadn't caught even a glimpse of blue or blonde hair.

Natsu was beginning to think that this was a waste of time. Even if he managed to find the two girls there would be nothing he could do to stop them from fighting. He might even make things worse.

But now that he had snuck out of the guild he couldn't just go back. While sneaking out of the guild had been easy enough, sneaking back in would be almost impossible.

The main guild hall would be filled to the brim with people. There would be no chance of him getting in through the front door without someone noticing. And there was no way in hell he'd ever be able to climb back up to his dorm room window. Climbing down had been difficult enough with a broken arm. Getting back up would be impossible.

Sighing, Natsu pushed himself forward until he caught sight of two familiar figures.

Jet and Droy stood just behind a tree peering around the sides. Just by looking at their backs Natsu could tell that something was wrong. He stood there staring at them unsure of what to do.

For the most part, Natsu avoided Jet and Droy and for good reason. The two were strong fighters and didn't have much tolerance for the weaker members of the guild. Their favorite targets for lectures and teasing had always been Elfman and Natsu.

They would go on and on about how Elfman needed to man up. Every time the large man failed a mission they would be the first to mention it. Lisanna would usually step in if their lecture devolved into mockery. But by then Elfman would have devolved into a crying mess.

And then there was their attitude towards Natsu himself. He had no idea if Jet and Droy liked or hated him. But just as they did with Elfman they made it a point to mention all his shortcomings at the first opportunity.

For some reason, his shyness always seemed to rub the two the wrong way. On more than one occasion they had dragged him into dangerous missions with them. Natsu never managed to make a positive impression on the two on any of those instances.

Every time they would arrive at the location of a job Natsu would wait in the car or wherever they were staying. All while Jet and Droy did all the real work. Eventually, the two got fed up with Natsu's general lack of enthusiasm when it came to fighting.

He was thankful when the two partnered up with Levy. Interestingly, it had been right after dragging them out of the guild for a 'talk'. Once the three returned, the two men were completely devoted to the mechanic.

To this day, Natsu had no idea what had happened between them. Whether Levy had simply beaten them into submission or if the three found some common ground. He had no idea.

But in the end, it worked out best for everyone. Levy gained some followers, Fairy Tail got a powerful team, and Jet and Droy had someone who was just as enthusiastic about fighting as they were. Never again did Jet and Droy drag Natsu or anyone else on a dangerous mission with them. They didn't need to. They had Levy.

Scrunching up his nose in dissatisfaction Natsu realized something. If anyone knew where Levy and Lucy were fighting it would be Jet and Droy.

But Natsu really really really didn't want to ask them. He hadn't even spoken with Jet and Droy directly in years. And he wasn't confident they would receive him all that well.

It seemed more likely than not the two would just blow him off and Natsu would be back to square one. Still it was the only option he had.

Steeling himself, Natsu came up next to the two. Neither of the men seemed to notice him. They seemed completely absorbed in whatever it was they were looking at.

"Uhm..." he began only to have Jet whirl around and pull him behind the tree with them. He nearly screamed only to have a hand put over his mouth and Droy shush him harshly.

Despite himself, Natsu ended up whimpering a little only for Jet to whisper, "Dammit Natsu shut up! Do you want them to hear us?!"

Blinking he shook his head hoping that that was the right answer to the question.

It appeared to be as Droy removed his hand from Natsu's mouth and went back to watching whatever it was had the two so absorbed. Curious, he peeked around the tree himself to a horrific sight.

Lucy was covered in light injuries from head to toe. Her sunny blonde hair had been undone and lay in tassels around her shoulders. Even the new clothes Cana had dug out for her to wear had rips and tears in them. And though he didn't like the sight of it, there were slight traces of blood on her chin and shirt.

Levy hardly looked any better. Her hairband had been torn off, one of the sleeves she usually wore on her arm was missing, and her necklace lay discarded on the ground. And like Lucy she had traces of blood on both her face and clothes.

As Natsu stared he could hear Jet comment, "They've been at it for more than an hour."

"And... and you haven't stopped them?" Natsu stammered.

Droy glared at him. "You wanna get in the middle of that?"

His silence was answer enough for both men.

"Look it's easier to just let them wear themselves out. Then we can drag em back to the guild." Jet explained. "Course we wouldn't even be out here if it wasn't for that blonde you've been hanging around with."

Natsu tensed. "B-But Lucy hasn't done anything!"

Droy rolled his eyes. "If she didn't do anything then Levy wouldn't be out there kicking her ass."

He narrowed his eyes at the two but said nothing. Jet and Droy wouldn't tolerate anyone saying anything bad about Levy. And Natsu knew better than to start something he couldn't finish.

The two girls were now scuffling across the forest floor. Moving further and further away from where the three men lay hidden. Natsu was leaning out from behind the tree to get a better view. When a familiar prickling feeling hit the back of his neck.

Something was wrong.

Natsu shot his eyes around the area trying to find out what was wrong. When he heard a familiar rushing sound his eyes widened. The two were getting dangerously close to the river.

"We have to stop them!" Natsu stood up but Jet and Droy restrained him.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you know the rules! It's a one on one fight." Jet scowled as he held the pink haired boy back.

"You don't understand!" Natsu cried. "They're gonna fall if we don't stop them!"

"Fall? Fall off of what?"

Lucy and Levy were completely absorbed in their fight. Neither noticed anything going on around them. Not even as they backed up towards the steep bank of the river. Levy lurched forward and tackled Lucy Ashley toppling both of the women over the ledge.

"Lucy! Levy!" Natsu managed to get out of Jet and Droy's grasp and ran over to the ledge.

But it was too late. Both girls had disappeared into the powerful current of the river.

* * *

 _((I'll be honest, while I knew hwat I wanted to happen in this chapter I had a hard time putting it into words._

 _I was afraid of sounding repetitive when describing Levy and Lucy's fight. But hopefully this problem won't last into the future._

 _I wanted to give an idea of what Jet and Droy's relationship with Natsu is like._

 _Like in earthland the two are pretty dedicated to Levy but for a different reason (which Ill get into in the future.)_

 _I don't have much else to say here so please review with your general attitude towards this fic, and feel free to point out any typos or problems you might find!))_


	14. Story 2 Chapter 3

The sudden cold rush of water forced Lucy out of her fighting mindset and kickstarted her survival instincts.

First she desperately struggled to get her head above the water but the rushing current made even something as simple as that difficult. Instead, she just took in a much air as she could whenever she felt her mouth and nose above the water. Every now and then she noticed the familiar blue hair of Levy pop above the water but couldn't decide if the girl was alive or dead.

How fast she was moving or where the water was taking her were things Lucy didn't have time to even consider. Every moment that passed she could feel less and less air entering her lungs as the water threatened to engulf her entirely.

Just when her strength was about to give out, the river calmed and left her floating along with the current. Lucy just let herself float on her back steadily filling her lungs with air and giving her muscles a chance to relax. Only when she felt herself being pushed onto an embankment did she will herself to move and pull herself over onto dry land.

Her muscles ached as she lay there on the sand. The clothes Cana gave her were completely soaked through and sticking to her skin. The garments now felt heavy and uncomfortable as Lucy pulled herself into a sitting position against a tree in order to comfortably rest.

A part of Lucy greatly appreciated the pain in her arms and legs and the discomfort of her wet clothes. The fact that she could even feel those things were proof that she was still alive.

Splashing water alerted her to another presence. Shooting her head up she saw Levy pulling herself out of the water and rolling over so she lay flat on her back in the sand. Neither spoke to the other, instead preferring to spend the next hour resting.

Lucy lay staring at the sky, wondering if anyone even knew they were gone? She had thought she had heard Natsu's voice as they had fallen into the water. But it seemed likely she may have imagined it all.

After all Natsu was scared of Levy. There was no way he would have come after the two. And it wasn't like they had announced before the whole of the guild where they would be fighting. He would have to have searched the surrounding forest for them.

Still she couldn't help but feel that she had heard someone yell out her name.

Feeling the toe of a boot in her thigh, Lucy opened her eyes and glared at Levy.

"Get up blondie." she sneered. "We gotta start heading back."

Lucy tsked at the girl's audacity. "An, 'I'm sorry' would be appropriate. It was your fault we ended up in the river!"

"My fault?!" Levy's face contorted with rage. "If you were such a selfish bitch, I would never have had to call you out like that!"

Standing up Lucy grabbed the ragged remains of Levy's shirt and pushed her face against hers. "Do you want to go another round so soon?"

"I certainly wouldn't mind the idea!"

Just when the two were about to trade blows there was a series of metallic clicks from the brush prompting the two to freeze. Slowly they turned their heads to find several shadowy forms standing in the brush pointing several rifles at the two women.

"Shit." both girls muttered at the same time.

* * *

"We have to tell the guild!"

"We are NOT telling the guild!"

"Why the hell not?!" Natsu clenched his hands as he glared at the two men.

"Look kid maybe you don't understand women the same way we do." Jet replied. "But ladies like Levy and that blonde have got way too much pride to accept help like that!"

"Her name is Lucy!" Natsu corrected. "And for all we know they could both be drowning! We have to inform the guild and get together search party!"

But Jet and Droy would not be persuaded. And they wouldn't let Natsu return to the guild either. This struggle lasted some minutes before Natsu finally gave up.

"Look," Natsu begged. "L-lets meet halfway."

Rubbing his hands together he paused to make sure Jet and Droy were listening.

"W-We don't have to tell the rest of the guild. But at the very least, let's go downstream and see if we can find them! Just to make sure they're both okay!"

When neither men replied he added in. "W-we can take my four-wheeler! If there's no problems then we should be able to find them in an hour or two tops!"

When there was still no reply Natsu's nerves began to grate. He knew that both were loyal to Levy. That they were only worrying about her pride. But Lucy had also fallen into the river.

Natsu didn't know if she knew how to swim. If she did know how to swim, he didn't know how well. Lucy was an excellent fighter, but he hadn't known her as long as he had Levy. He didn't know quite what her limitations were, what kind of weaknesses she may have.

He was confident Levy would be just fine, but for all he knew Lucy may have already drowned. Her body floating down stream as stiff as a board. The very thought of it made him feel ill.

Given her personality he had no doubt that Lucy would have been angry with him if she knew how much he was worrying over her. But he couldn't help it. The two of them were partners now. Even if she could take care of herself, it was still his part to at least try to look after her.

Natsu stood stiff awaiting for Jet and Droys reply. Thinking up more and more arguments in favor of going after the two girls. He was not going to let this go. It was the least he could do for Lucy.

After a few seconds Jet's shoulders deflated. "Alright alright." he sighed. "But we're gonna have to sneak the car outta the garage. Otherwise, there's no point in keeping it a secret."

Natsu beamed at the orange haired man appreciatively.

"Wipe that smirk off yer face." he sneered. "If Levy gets pissed about us butting into her business yer taking the blame."

Natsu nodded furiously in response.

"Hold on a second," Droy interjected. "Let's say we don't find them. Then what?"

The three fell silent. They hadn't thought about that.

"I guess." Natsu muttered. "We could take Alzack with us… If we can't find Levy and Lucy he might able to find traces of them."

"If we take Alzack, Bisca will end up coming too!" Droy argued. "And they'd spend the whole time making out!"

"Not to mention that two more people we'd have to worry about. Threes already a crowd. Besides there's no guarantee that those two aren't already on their way back to the guild." Jet put in. "You're overthinking it. Let's just get Natsu's car so we can get this over with."

Not willing to hold up the search for even a minute longer, Natsu let the issue go. Instead he quietly followed along. Unwilling to speak out of fear that Jet and Droy would lose what little patience they had managed to muster towards him.

He was sure that some part of the two men were worried about Levy the same way he was worried about Lucy. But like Levy they both had a lot of pride and weren't willing to show how much they cared. It was something about people Natsu could never wrap his head around.

Some of the strongest people he knew seemed to think that showing any kind of emotion made them weak. He wasn't sure why that was. Mirajane was a pretty strong person and she didn't hide the love she felt for her brother, sister, and everyone in the guild.

His father hadn't been like that either.

Shaking his head, Natsu tried to keep his thoughts in the present. Now was not the time to linger in the past.

Sneaking around the back of the guild, the three men pulled the garage door open. As quietly as possible they began pushing the magic fourwheeler out into the open and into the forest.

"C-can we get in yet?" Natsu asked tiredly.

"Not yet!" Jet hissed. "Mira would still hear it if we started it off here! Do you want someone to find us out here?!"

"It's a little late for that."

Stopping Natsu, Jet, and Droy slowly turned to find Lisanna standing behind them with a frown on her face.

"L-Lisanna!" Natsu stuttered. "Wh-what a-are you d-doing out here?"

Lisanna crossed her arms and gave him a disapproving glare. "That's what I should be asking you! You're supposed to be resting!" She marched over to him and took his good arm. "C'mon we're going back to the guild."

"W-wait!" Natsu said pulling back. "Lisanna you don't understand!"

"Understand?! What I understand is that you're trying to sneak out to drive your car again! How you got Jet and Droy roped into it I don't know," she replied shooting the other two men a look of apprehension. "But you are not going out for joyride with your arm like that!"

"B-But it's for Lucy and Levy!"

Lisanna blinked at him. "What?"

Natsu inhaled and answered as quickly as he could. "Levy's been mad at Lucy lately for some reason so she challenged her to a fight outside the guild and I tried to follow them hoping I could stop them. Why I thought that I don't know but I did. I found them while they were fighting but Jet and Droy wouldn't let me stop them but then they both fell into the river and ended up washing downstream. I wanted to tell the guild but Jet and Droy didn't think it was necessary. I managed to convince them to at least let me look for them but we all knew Mira would never let me take the car out and if she caught us we'd have to explain where we were going and why and then Mira would freak out and send out a search party which Jet and Droy don't want cause they know it'd make Levy mad. So we're pushing my car far enough from the guild so that I can take off without being caught, look around for Levy and Lucy, hopefully find them, and be back to the guild by sundown!" he stopped for a moment to gasp for breath before finishing. "Please please please don't tell Mira!"

The silver-haired girl blinked at him and then glanced at Jet and Droy for confirmation of the truth. Both men silently nodded. Lisanna sighed, "Well if that's the case there's really only one option."

"So you'll go back to the guild without telling Mirajane?" Natsu asked hopeful.

"I never said that!"

Natsu deflated and looked crestfallen. Without another word Lisanna rounded the corner of the car past Jet and Droy and opened the passenger's seat.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Jet asked.

"What does it look like silly?" LIsanna replied with a smile as she climbed in and closed the door behind her. "I'm taking shotgun."

The three men stared at her through the back windshield. Sticking her head out the car window she called, "Well, what are you waiting for? The girls are going to get hypothermia at this rate if you don't hurry up and get this car moving."

With looks of surprise still on all their faces, the three men continued to push the car. Once they had reached the suitable distance away all three climbed in. Natsu turned on the ignition and took off with their extra passenger in tow.

* * *

 _((Sorry for making you guys wait so long for an update!_

 _As you all may have noticed I have a new fic uploaded on my page called "Of Witches and Kings" sadly writing for that fic has become rather slow so I may end up taking it down. The idea came to me suddenly and I wrote up the first part before I bothered to really think through the plot. In the end my ideas for it is limited. But we'll see._

 _I think that Jet, Droy, and Levy all take collective pride in the fact that they are the strongest team in Edolas's Fairy Tail. Jet and Droy in particular are two of the strongest mages in the guild. As a result the trio are unwilling to accept help when they may not need it, and are content to let their teammates take care of themselves._  
 _Natsu doesn't have this sense of pride and so doesn't see anything wrong with worrying about and helping his guildmates in any way he can whether they need it or not._

 _Including Lisanna in this second part wasn't originally a part of the plan. But then a user called underlings reviewed the story and suggested including. An idea that quickly wormed its way in until I began really liking the idea! So you can expect more of her in future chapters._

 _And yes this Lisanna is Earthlands Lisanna. A character I feel was brought into the Fairy Tail series kind of clumsily and then wasn't properly utilized. I don't find anything personally wrong with her character, I just feel how she was written into the story was rather badly done. (No offense Mashima.) I mean if she had been introduced into the story from the beginning, THEN was "killed" and THEN brought back it might be a different story. But as things are that's not how it played out so whatevs. It's up to us fanfic writers to right those wrongs I guess._

 _Regardless i think it'd be fun exploring quite how Lisanna got situated into the guild, what everyone in the guilds relationship is to her, and exactly how she gets by in the world of Edolas. I have a few theories here or there regarding to those subjects so it'll be fun to put them into play._

 _Now what will happen to Levy and Lucy?! Who are those guys with the guns? Will Natsu's gang find them in time?_

 _Please review and find out next time! ))_


	15. Story 2 Chapter 4

Neither Levy nor Lucy could forgive themselves.

The battle couldn't even really be called a battle. Both girls had exhausted themselves in their own fight and the river had drained them completely. The men who had captured them not only outnumbered the two but also had them outgunned.

They naturally hadn't made the capture easy. Punching, kicking, biting, scratching, etc. Lucy found solace in the fact that she had snapped an arm, twisted an ankle or two, sprained at least three wrists, and broken several dozen fingers. Beating Levy out by at least three injuries she was sure. But even this small pat on the back meant nothing in their current situation.

Or she _would_ pat herself on the back if her hands weren't bound up with rope.

Lucy shifted her feet once more. Having lost her shoes in the river, the ropes they'd used to bind her ankles chafed her bare skin painfully. Still if she could just get them loose…

She jumped when there was a sudden smashing sound. Though unable to see what it was from their place inside a tent, Lucy could still make out the men's voices. Apparently one of them had dropped something and was being scolded.

Considering their reaction to she and Levy accidentally stumbling upon their campsite it seemed obvious they were doing something that wasn't strictly legal. What is was though she couldn't tell. Their rifles had magic attachments but that didn't mean they were mages. In fact, she was almost sure they weren't.

For one, they all had the same mass produced weapon. Mages in a guild were usually much more diverse in their expertise. Not to mention they almost never gathered in a single place like this anymore. Large groups of people drew more attention, and that was something mages almost always avoided.

So they weren't a dark guild. But then, who were they?

There were other illegal organizations in Edolas outside of the guilds. They had flourished since the royal armies focus had switched to controlling the illegal magic trade instead of general crime. The royal army managed to keep things from descending into complete chaos, but the lack of actual funds and manpower had allowed crime to spread and organize.

Lucy knew about them better than most since her own father had been the head of one such organization. Jude Ashley had been a successful if unscrupulous man. He knew to avoid business that would attract too much attention from officials.

The gang under her father specialized in smuggling foreign goods and stolen treasures. Jude had always avoided trading lacrima when it could be done, and wouldn't touch drugs, sex, or slavery. Lucy wished she could say it was because of a hidden moral character on her father's part, but knew that that hadn't been it.

She had no delusions about the kind of person her father had been. A man could not attain the position he had without being cold and merciless to his enemies. From what she had learned about him after he had died, Jude seemed to have been the sort to never take care of the dirty deed himself. Nor did he bother hiring assassins or anything traceable like that.

No. Jude Ashley had done things more… creatively.

A few business transactions here, a few tips to the authorities there, a small bit of planted evidence, and those who stood in his way would either be jailed or end up killed by their own subordinates. Clever, organized, clean, and cruel. Lucy knew it all.

And yet.

And yet the image of him that always came to her mind was that of a loving father and husband. Someone who had played horsie with her and taken her on day trips to the beach. It was the image every daughter had of their father. That of a kind protective figure you could always rely on. Sighing, she realized that she was allowing herself to grow sentimental again.

Tufts of her blonde hair kept falling over her eyes prompting Lucy to blow them out of her face. Gritting her teeth in irritation as she did so. At some point in the struggle against the men her hair tie must've been pulled out.

It had been the only one she owned. A thin black tie with a skull on it. Now she would have to find something else to keep her hair out of her face with.

Glancing around the tent Lucy tried to find something that could tip her off as to what kind of criminals they had stumbled upon. Piles and piles of unlabeled crates lay around them in an untidy mess.

Smugglers more than likely. And judging by their guns it seemed likely they were smuggling weapons. To whom and for what purpose she couldn't tell.

None of the men had worn any kind of distinguishing mark that matched them to any known organization that she knew of. She couldn't be sure if that was a good or bad. On the one hand knowing who they were dealing with would help in ensuring that both she and Levy survived. On the other, it could mean they were just small fry who could be taken care of once the two girls regained their strength.

Once more Lucy pulled on the ropes that kept her hands tied to the post.

 _Dammit_ , she thought ruefully. _If only these scumbags were bad at tying knots._

She turned to look at Levy who was tied just behind her to the same post. The blue haired girl was still struggling to untie her own hands. She had been at it since they'd been captured. Lucy had to admire her. She'd given up after just a few minutes.

If only there were some small knife or nail or piece of glass she could use to cut the ropes. But there wasn't. Their best chance would be to wait for an opportunity to present itself.

They hadn't killed them right off the bat so that was a good sign. It meant they weren't quick to kill. Though that didn't mean they wouldn't kill them if they became inconvenient.

Levy slumped in exhaustion. "This sucks."

"Not exactly having a good time myself." Lucy retorted.

"Oh shut up blondie!" she spat.

Usually, that would earn at least one punch but Lucy was willing to let it go due to the current situation. Instead, she decided it might be best to confer with Levy about their current situation.

"Any idea who these guys are?"

The blue haired girl was silent for a moment before replying, "Not positive but if I had to hazard a guess…" she groaned before finishing. "I'd say they probably work for Everlue."

Lucy creased her brow. That name sounded familiar.

"Everlue? I feel like I've heard that name before."

"Ya should. He's one of the most notorious art collectors in the country."

Suddenly Lucy remembered where she'd heard his name.

Everlue was the head of a crime syndicate that handled stolen and counterfeit art. As well as weapons and… other industries. From what she'd heard from the rumors Everlue had his own 'collection' of the most beautiful art he could get his hands on. The disturbing part was that he didn't just settle for non-living forms of beauty.

Her and Levy's capture suddenly took on a whole new light.

"So uh," she spoke hopefully. "How's that knot coming along?"

Levy twisted around and glared at her prompting Lucy to assume that the answer was a negative.

The two couldn't start arguing because at the moment the flap of the tent flew open and several men came in. Lucy and Levy still hadn't fully regained their strength and so couldn't fight much when they were dragged away to a card and thrown into the back along with several crates.

In what seemed like a matter of minutes, they were on their way. Being carried away from the river and farther from the guild than Lucy felt comfortable with.

As the cart jumbled along, both Lucy and Levy sat in silence. Silently planning what their next move should be.

* * *

"Where _are_ they?" Lisanna asked herself worriedly.

"I'm sure we'll come across them in just a few more minutes," Jet repeated himself. Though he was beginning to sound a lot less convincing. Even to himself.

Droy sat in the back next to him in complete silence. Busying himself with looking out the window in hopes of catching sight of a familiar head of blue hair.

Lisanna sat up front with Natsu being sure to keep her eyes open for either of the girls. As of yet she hadn't seen them.

Natsu remained uncharacteristically silent and serious. Even though he was behind the wheel he wasn't boisterous but rather dour. He stared ahead of him, transfixed on the path. They had been driving for almost an hour and had yet to see any signs of either Lucy or Levy.

On the outside Natsu was stiff, but on the inside, he was panicking.

By now they should have managed to find one of the girls if they had gotten out of the river and headed back to the guild. Natsu still clung to the hope that they had sat down and rested at the riverside just further up the way. If not then…

He didn't want to think that Lucy and Levy had drowned. The last thing he wanted was to look out the window at the river to see his friends bodies floating down the river.

Worse, the prickles on the back of his neck were back.

He hoped and prayed that they didn't mean he was about to find his friends dead. God, how he hoped. Part of him sincerely hoped he would get a flat tire or something and that the prickles on his neck would then disappear.

But he knew better than to seriously think that that was it.

After another twenty minutes had passed the whole car had fallen silent. Natsu pulled the car over in the hopes of giving everyone a break from the road.

No one complained about the sudden stop. Everyone exited the car without saying a word.

Jet and Droy deliberately moved away from Lisanna and Natsu and began speaking to one another in hushed whispers.

Lisanna continued scanning the bank of the river, as though some clue as to what had happened to her guildmates would magically rise from the turbulent waters.

Natsu sat against a tree staring at the dry blue grass that grew under his feet. He began to absent-mindedly tear up the pathetic plants and dropping them to the side while deep in thought.

Why hadn't he put up more of a fight? If he had just stood up to Jet and Droy at that time and stopped Lucy and Levy none of this would have happened. They would all be back in the guild, where it was safe.

If he had just _said_ something. If he had just _done_ something. If for once in his life he had actually had even a little courage he could have prevented everything.

Lucy and Levy were missing. Maybe even dead. And it was all **his** fault.

Jet and Droy seemed to have finished their conversation and come back over to where Natsu and Lisanna stood.

"Alright. We're not gonna get anywhere just standing around." Jet said authoritatively.

Natsu knew that tone of voice. It was a the tone Jet carried when they were out on jobs. It showed that he had begun taking the situation extremely seriously.

"Droy and I will keep looking round here. You two go back to the guild."

"Go back? But we haven't found them yet!" Lisanna argued. "We can't just go back to the guild!"

Natsu admired Lisanna's spunk. Few people in the guild had the guts to go against Jet's decisions.

"We aren't going back. Just the two of you," he spat sternly. "You two need to go back and alert the guild. Meanwhile, the two of us will keep looking along the river."

Natsu continued to tear up grass with even more vigor this time. He wanted to scream to yell at Jet that that was what he had wanted to do all along. But he didn't.

"If that's your idea then it would be better with three people looking than just two!" Lisanna argued.

Three people. Of course, there was no surprise there. If any member of the group had to be sent back it would, of course, be Natsu.

"We don't know what to expect here on out! Besides, if anything happened to you Mirajane would kill me!"

"Oh so _that's_ it," she scoffed. "You're sending us back because you're too scared to explain to my sister what happened!"

"That's not it at all!" Jet was clearly getting sick of the conversation.

Natsu had completely cleared out the grass on his right and reached to his left to begin tearing up the grass on that side. He didn't have anything to add to the conversation. Whatever was decided he would just obey like he usually did.

His fingers brushed something unnatural. It wasn't a plant or a rock. It felt curved and smooth. Turning to look at what he had touched Natsu's eyes widened at what sat at the tips of his fingers.

"Dammit Lisanna enough of this!" Jet yelled frustrated. "Just take Natsu and go back to the guild. Droy and I are gonna go downstream to see if we can find them further along. If we don't find them there-"

"They aren't there."

Jet looked over at Natsu with a pissed off look on his face. "Dammit, Natsu, not you too! We can't keep wasting time!"

"They _aren't_ there! Lucy got out of the water right here!"

"How do you know that?!"

Natsu held up what he had found.

Lucy's skull hair tie.

Jet stared dumbfounded. "Well, I'll be damned."

A sudden hopeful smile spread across Lisanna's face. "Oh thank god!" she rushed over and knelt down next to Natsu to get a better look at the trinket. "It must've fallen out of her hair after crawling out of the river! And if Lucy managed to get out of the river then Levy must have too!"

"We must've just missed them!" Droy finally spoke up. "They must've gone into the woods instead of following the river!"

"Great." Jet groaned. "They're probably back at the guild by now! Should've known this was a waste of time."

Natsu stared at the little skull in his hand.

Something was wrong. Something was very very wrong.

Wracking his brain Natsu tried to think of one time, ANY time Lucy had taken the skull tie off. Any time it had slipped from her sunny hair. But he drew a blank.

No matter how rough she got in one of the guilds brawls the skull remained in place. Not even when they had run for their lives from the rats or that burning building did the hair tie lose its place. Natsu had thought that the tie must've been an amazing accessory to cling to be able to cling to her hair so strongly.

And yet here it lay in his hands. The band completely snapped.

The prickles had become extremely strong.

This wasn't over.

"I-I think…" Natsu began nervously.

The others stared at him as he spoke. Already he could feel his courage draining. But he pushed on to the best of his ability. "I-I think… I think something's wrong…"

Jet groaned. "Dammit kid aren't you satisfied? You managed to find proof that yer pretty blonde got out of the river alive what else do you want?"

Droy seemed to agree with this sentiment as he took on a look of exhausted irritation.

The only one who seemed interested was Lisanna. "What do you mean? What's wrong Natsu?"

"Lucy's… Lucy's never lost her hair tie. Ever." He turned the little skull over in his fingers nervously. "Not even when we were attacked by those rats. O-Or when those smugglers tried to kill us…"

"What are you getting at?" Droy asked.

Natsu took a breath. "Something's happened to her. I don't know what but something… something happened."

"You don't have any proof of that!" Jet argued.

Lisanna ignored the larger man, "What do you think happened?"

"I dunno." he admitted.

"This is ridiculous!" Jet rolled his eyes.

Lisanna glared at him. "In that case," she said crossing her arms. "You can go back to the guild!"

Jet and Droy stared at her.

"Lisanna c'mon you can't seriously believe-" Droy began.

"Why shouldn't I?" she demanded. "Natsu's never been wrong about these things before! I don't see why I shouldn't listen to him now."

"All those times were just coincidence!" Jet sounded exasperated.

"Maybe they were. Maybe they weren't," she shrugged. "Either way, there's nothing you can do to make me leave. You two think everything's fine right? So then you shouldn't have a problem going back to the guild without us. Natsu and I will stick around here and have a look around."

"B-but," Droy blustered. "Natsu's the only one of us who can drive! We'd have to go back on foot!"

Lisanna gave an exaggerated look surprise. "Imagine that!"

Their faces went red. Natsu was afraid they would force both he and Lisanna into the car and make them go back.

Jet threw his arms in the air and screamed, "Fine! Suit yourself! But don't come crying to me when you spend all night digging in bushes for nothing!"

With that, the orange haired man stomped away.

Droy lingered temporarily. He sighed and moved over to Lisanna handing something over to her. "Here," he said bluntly. "This is a communication lacrima. Mira will wanna call you when we get back to the guild."

Lisanna took the lacrima with a grateful look on her face. "Thanks."

"You shouldn't worry your bro and sis Lisanna," he shook his head. "You know how they feel."

For once the girl looked guilty. "I know."

"Just be careful. If anything, and I mean anything, happens don't take any unnecessary risks," he turned to follow after Jet. "That goes for you too Natsu."

Natsu blinked in surprise. Droy almost sounded… concerned.

But before he could ask him about it Droy took off after Jet and disappeared around the bend of the river.

* * *

 _((it looks like Lucy and Levy are in some serious trouble. Can they get themselves out of it?_

 _And what about Natsu and Lisanna? Will they be able to figure out what happened?_

 _Who knows._

 _Thanks for reading this latest chapter! If you all haven't noticed I've begun posting oneshots. They're all prompts I've been sent on my tumblr page._

 _I'm doing a list prompt challenge where I'm sent numbers and I must write a prompt based on the numbers sent. Each number can only be requested once before they're removed form the list._

 _If you think you'd be interested feel free to go to my tumblr page._

 _I'll post a link to my blog on my profile for you guys._

 _Also it seem's Everlue's edolas counterpart will be busting out onto the scene! I have a few ideas for his character. Though as a one off character he'll be easy to make a counterpart for._

 _Please review with what you thought about this most recent chapter!_

 _Thank you!))_


End file.
